Paige Cognetti
Candidate for U.S. Congress, PA-08
Mayor Paige Cognetti’s career has been guided by the vision that government should work as hard as the people it serves. Paige worked with the Pennsylvania Auditor General, uncovering corruption in both parties and working to make nursing homes safer. She joined the Scranton School Board and worked to uncover waste, fraud, and abuse, so schools would work for our kids instead of cronies.
In 2019, Scranton’s then-mayor resigned after pleading guilty to federal charges. Paige ran for mayor as an Independent, taking on the local political establishment and a culture of corruption, in a campaign that became known as “Paige Against the Machine.”
Paige stunned the NEPA political establishment when she won, thanks to her promise to clean up the corruption in City Hall. Paige was the first woman ever elected Mayor of Scranton, and was eight months pregnant when she won. Paige ran for reelection as a Democrat in 2021, winning a full term with over 71% of the vote.
As mayor, Paige has taken on special interests and fought for reform. She turned down a city car, eliminated cash payments, and cut costs, leading to budget surpluses and a credit rating that went from junk to investment grade. She has secured over $155 million in federal and state grants, and in 2022, Paige led Scranton out of a 30-year distressed financial status period.
Paige worked to make government serve the people, focusing on improving quality of life and reducing costs. She fought for more homes, more small businesses, more restaurants, and more parks. She streamlined the city’s permitting process, slashed permit fees, and cut red tape. Her efforts resulted in almost a thousand more homes, more than 250 new shops and eateries, and over 10,000 building permits in three years. She focused on local infrastructure, removed blighted structures, held absentee landlords accountable, and replaced thousands of street signs across the city.
Paige has been a steadfast advocate for public safety and funding our brave men and women in law enforcement. She spent more than $4 million on police technology and training, increased the police force with five new officers this year, and added police and fire vehicles to Scranton’s fleet.
Paige decided to run for Congress because another politician broke our trust. Congressman Bresnahan’s time in office has been defined by an abuse of trust. As NEPA faces an uncertain economic future and rising costs, Congressman Bresnahan has been capitalizing on his own votes, trading stocks over 600 times after campaigning on banning congressional stock trading. Bresnahan promised to never take away healthcare for his constituents, calling it a “red line,” but voted earlier this year to rip away healthcare from over 25,000 people in NEPA. Bresnahan promised he’d clean up the swamp, but he’s quickly proven he’s all about the grift.
Paige’s reason for serving in public office is to bring reform, transparency, and government accountability to NEPA, a place sadly known for public corruption. She’s ready to take that fight to the place that needs it most: a Washington controlled by special interests and self-serving politicians who put the people last.
Paige lives in Scranton with her husband Ryan, and their two daughters.