Kanjo: My clout needed more than ever

WILKES-BARRE - U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski on Wednesday said his seniority in Congress is needed more than ever and residents of the 11th Congressional District will benefit from his re-election.

Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, announced Tuesday that he will seek a 14th two-year term in the House of Representatives. He is opposed in the Democratic primary by Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O’Brien. Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta and Monroe County hedge fund manager Chris Paige are seeking the Republican nomination.

Kanjorski, 72, said he has analyzed his 25 years in Congress and decided that now is not the time for him to consider retiring. He attended the funeral of his longtime colleague and friend U.S. Rep. John Murtha on Tuesday and said he “certainly doesn’t want to retire that way.”

“But there are things I want to see through,” Kanjorski said. “Especially my amendment which is now part of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.”

Kanjorski chairs the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises. The amendment – referred to as the Kanjorski “too big to fail” amendment – was included in the act that passed the House in December. It would empower federal regulators to rein in and dismantle financial firms that are so large, interconnected or risky that their collapse would put the entire U.S. economic system at risk.

Kanjorski said American taxpayers should no longer be on the hook for bailouts because financial companies would not be able to become “too big to fail.” He said if he’s not in Congress, the bill could fail.

“I’m in the right place at the right time to do the right thing,” Kanjorski said. “And the chance of accomplishment is there.”

The 13-term Congressman spoke with The Times Leader’s editorial board on the first anniversary of passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which he credited with pulling the economy out of the worst downturn since the 1930s. He brought with him a list of ARRA projects in his district totaling $150 million.

Kanjorski said he doesn’t think the corruption scandal in Luzerne County will influence his re-election chances. He said voters know who he is and what he has meant to his district.
Kanjorski said his time in Washington has resulted in many useful friendships – in Congress and the White House. Those have helped obtain funding for projects like Earth Conservancy, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport and the new Commonwealth Medical College.

“If I were to leave this year, the longest-serving legislator in the region will be Sen. Bob Casey,” Kanjorski said. “We are losing state Senators Bob Mellow and Ray Musto, who are retiring. If I go and Sen. Casey is not re-elected in his next run, then we might as well close down the ballroom.”

Northeastern Pennsylvania has benefited for decades from having long-serving representatives in Congress, Kanjorski said. He pointed to the years of service of the late Daniel J. Flood on the Democratic side and of former U.S. Rep. Joseph McDade, a Republican who represented the 10th District for decades. Kanjorski said the two possessed considerable clout and were instrumental in bringing federal dollars to the area.

Regarding the allegation of wrongdoing in the Cornerstone Technologies in Nanticoke, Kanjorski said he was never charged in the matter.

“Don’t you think with a Republican president and administration that I was checked out thoroughly?” Kanjorski offered. “And they found nothing wrong.”

“We must avoid the shock of having no legislator with clout,” he said. “When I leave and Sen. Musto and Sen. Mellow are gone, there could be a long desert to cross.”
Kanjorski talked about his work to keep large employers like the Social Security Administration, Tobyhanna Army Depot and the Veterans Hospital in the region.

Kanjorski said being opposed in the primary was not something he welcomes; he said the campaign will take time away from his duties in Washington and will drain his campaign coffers.

“Certainly I would have been happier without a primary challenge,” he said. “Corey O’Brien is a nice young man; he supported me in the past. I understand ambition.”