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PITTSTON TWP. — The sunshine on Sunday made for a perfect day to fire up the grills for the Luzerne County Republican Party’s fourth annual summer picnic.
It also gave Republican candidates running for statewide judicial office in the November general election a chance to mingle with constituents.
Members of the Luzerne County Republican Party manned the grill as voters and judges trickled into the pavilion and out of the hot sun. Chairman Bill Urbanski said that aside from Paul Lalley, who could not make the event, judges Anne Covey, Michael George, Judy Olson and Emil Giordano were all scheduled to attend.
“I think they realize how important Luzerne County is,” Urbanski said. “If they can win here in Luzerne County, I think it’s going to bode well for them statewide.”
Officials of the Luzerne County Republican Party expected anywhere from 70 to 100 people to attend the picnic, which went from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Covey, George and Olson are running for three open spots on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Lalley is a candidate for the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court.
Giordano, who is running for a vacancy on the Pennsylvania Superior Court, liked the idea of rubbing elbows with constituents.
“I really wanted to come up here and meet the people up in this town,” he said. “I really believe that when I meet people, I can win their vote.”
Olson, who was elected to the Pennsylvania Superior Court in 2009 after having served as a judge in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, said her race a historic one.
“This is a unique race because this is the first time since the 1700s we’ve had three seats open at the same time on the Supreme Court,” Olson said. “All of us here know how important this race is, and how important it is to get the word out to the voters about the significance and how the court affects everyday citizens, including the folks of Luzerne County.”
For George, he said that Pittston Township was one stop among many as he treks across the state. He thought the picnic was a good platform for him to get to know some people in the area, as well as let them know what his values are as a candidate.
“That’s been the nice thing about this — running statewide, I’m getting around the state, having the wonderful opportunity to meet some very tremendous people,” he said.
Olson also spoke highly of the citizens of Luzerne County.
“These are true, American citizens,” she said. “They are true Pennsylvanians … and they care about what’s going to happen to Pennsylvania.”
One of those citizens was Frank Sciabacucchi, 64. He said he learned about the picnic when he saw an advertisement in the newspaper.
What really piqued his interest, however, were the candidates all making an appearance.
“I don’t often get a chance to meet them,” he said. “It’s wonderful. It shows that our area is important to them.”
As more people began to trickle in to grab a bite and mingle with the candidates, Urbanski reiterated that the event gave community members an opportunity to enjoy the summer day together.
“People could just come, enjoy a beautiful summer day, meet the candidates, hang out with their friends and family and just have a good time,” he said.
