Staff Reports
Newly circulated video from a Scranton City Council budget meeting has put Mayor Paige Cognetti on the hot seat again — and this time it’s about money, taxes, and a small line item called a “DEI coordinator.” The clips show councilmembers saying the city had cash on hand, including federal COVID/ARPA-related funds, that could have paid for the mayor’s proposed hires without hiking property taxes. For a politician running for Congress, that’s the kind of footage that doesn’t age well.
New footage exposes an unnecessary tax push
The council clips name names and numbers: Mayor Cognetti’s 2023 proposed budget included a roughly 3% property-tax increase estimated to raise about $957,000 to cover eight new positions, including a DEI coordinator budgeted at $25,500. Councilmember Mark McAndrew and Council President Tom Schuster said there was a cash surplus and ARPA money available that would have covered those costs — the total new positions were estimated at about $380,500. The specific tax hike proposal was not adopted, but the record now shows the administration pushed a tax increase when council members say it wasn’t needed.
The math and the politics
Let’s be blunt: voters don’t like paying more in property taxes, and they don’t like being told a tax increase is required when their city already has reserves. Council members questioned the logic, and even Mayor Cognetti’s own allies expressed concern about asking residents to pay more. That kind of disconnect is fair game in a congressional campaign against Rep. Rob Bresnahan — especially when the mayor once said she wanted to “do this quietly so that these conversations just become the norm.” Quiet or not, taxpayers noticed.
Woke spending vs. taxpayers’ wallets
Calling a DEI coordinator a priority worth a tax hike when the city had available funds looks like putting trendy bureaucracy ahead of the pocketbooks of working families. Whether you call it a DEI coordinator or an equity czar, voters will ask whether this job fixes potholes, backs up public safety, or simply funds another office that changes memos and slogans. The council footage suggests the real question is not whether the role was proposed, but why the administration pushed a tax increase instead of using the money already on hand.
Final verdict: transparency, accountability, and answers
This video should prompt clear answers from Mayor Paige Cognetti as she seeks a House seat. Voters deserve to know why a tax hike was proposed when councilmembers say ARPA or surplus funds could have covered the line items. If you’re running for higher office, your record as mayor matters — not the rhetoric, but the receipts. Scranton residents and Pennsylvania voters should expect transparency, fiscal common sense, and accountability from anyone asking for their support.
