Carney vs. Kanjo

The lost seat on Appropriations Committee is still sticking in the craw of Congressman Chris Carney according to Borys.

The PA delegation voted to recommend Philly area House member Patrick Murphy take the place of the late Jack Murtha. The vote was 6-4-1 with Erie Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper voting for herself. Kanjo won't say he who he voted for because it was a secret ballot and Borys asks If he voted for Mr. Carney, wouldn't he just say that?

Murphy has a relationship with Kanjo dating back to his days at Kings College and his brother JJ works for Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton.

Kanjo and Carney are tight lipped about this tiff sort of

The two congressmen refuse to say much about their spat, but their silence and veiled swipes at each other are raising eyebrows over Kanjorski's role in the recommendation and whether Northeastern Pennsylvania lost a chance at a larger share of federal funding.

Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, refuses to disclose his vote, saying it is "confidential."

"And unfortunately, the people that are talking about it obviously have interests," he said Tuesday after a public meeting at the South Side Senior Citizens Center. "And I think they've made major political errors in breaching confidential relationships."
He did not name "the people."

Carney told Norton

“I'm not going to comment on the internal workings of the delegation," Carney said to the Examiner. "What I will say is that I had counted on the support of my colleagues in maintaining geographical balance from the state on the Appropriations Committee. I will continue to do everything I can to fight to ensure projects throughout northeast and central Pennsylvania get their deserved share of federal funds. And I will always put our region ahead of politics when making these critical decisions."



The Pocono Record reports that Carney won the pork race this year pulling in $20.6 million in earmarks to Kanjorski's $17 million.

Kanjo's primary opponent, Corey O'Brien, pounced


Paul Kanjorski has still failed to provide a reason for why he voted against his neighboring Congressman, Chris Carney, who was seeking a seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee. That important vote wasn’t just against Chris Carney, it was against our entire region and the millions of federal dollars that could have been used here to create jobs, build infrastructure, and secure our region’s future for decades to come. So much for Kanjorski’s “seniority” as dean of the Pennsylvania delegation.

A look at the records of former Congressmen on the Appropriations Committee demonstrates just how much we may have lost:

- Congressman Dan Flood used his seniority on the House Appropriations Committee to steer I-80 and I-81 through his congressional district and ensured that Scranton and Wilkes-Barre would be connected to other major centers of commerce such as Philadelphia and New York City.

- During Joe McDade’s tenure on the same committee, he fought for the Tobyhanna Army Depot, established the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area, and created the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton.

- As chairman of the Appropriations Sub-Committee on Defense, Jack Murtha controlled billions of dollars in federal defense spending.

In 2010, Paul Kanjorski’s 26 years of “seniority” resulted in fewer federal earmark dollars for our district than 2-term Congressman Chris Carney was able to secure for his district. While Carney has been working hard for his district, Kanjorski has demonstrated that he is more interested in raising money from his friends on Wall Street (over $4,000,000 and counting). And while our opponent likes to take credit for “reforming” Wall Street, he conveniently forgets to take credit for the 14 years he spent as the highest ranking Democrat overseeing the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression and allowing Wall Street’s payout of billions in bonuses.

Paul Kanjorski can talk about his “seniority,” but clearly it isn’t the kind of “seniority” our region needs or wants.