Unearthed records reveal Dem mayor sought tax hike to fund DEI role ahead of key House race

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, once proposed raising taxes to make room for a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer.

A "DEI coordinator" was among eight new hires in the city’s 2023 proposed budget and would have set aside $25,500 for the position. To cover the costs of that opening and those of a police chief, a fire chief, a business administrator, a solicitor and a director of public works, the budget included a 3% property tax increase, estimated to generate $957,000 for the city.

The positions were estimated to cost $380,500. That budget was not adopted.

Cognetti’s proposed plan highlights her beliefs about diversity in government and the directness with which government should pursue representation among certain demographics as she looks to flip one of the country’s most competitive districts and unseat incumbent Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa.

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In the past, Cognetti has highlighted her purposeful pursuit of diversity in government.

"We’re not doing this for the publicity. We’re doing this quietly so that these conversations just become the norm," Cognetti said in a podcast appearance.

When asked about the DEI proposals and the 2023 budget, the Cognetti campaign pointed out that Bresnahan’s company has received government assistance for being "women-owned," support it says is in line with DEI policies.

"Rob Bresnahan’s own company identifies itself as disadvantaged and women-owned in order to get a leg up on securing federal contracts," a Cognetti spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital, referring to Kuharchik Construction Inc.

The company, which Bresnahan began leading as CEO in 2013, has received $162,000 in federal contracts since 2008, according to records.

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It has not received federal payments since 2017.

The campaign also said that many of Cognetti’s other acts as mayor directly helped bring the city’s costs down.

"Mayor Cognetti ran as an independent against a corrupt Democratic machine and reformed city hall. She saved taxpayers' money by balancing the budget after years of mismanagement, turned down a government car and gas card, refused a pay raise and improved the city’s credit rating from junk bond status to an A- investment rating," the Cognetti campaign continued. 

"Now, Paige is running to take on corrupt politicians in Washington like Rob Bresnahan, who has stock traded off of his votes and his access to insider information in Congress."

Bresnahan is not under investigation for insider trading, a violation of House rules.

Despite her emphasis on cutting government spending, Cognetti’s framing of the 2023 budget and its DEI role reflects her belief that diversity should be an area where the government places more of its resources.

She explained her thinking in a 2023 podcast.

"I will say that we’ve had some setbacks. Last year, we put a DEI coordinator in our budget. My city council cut that position with zero fanfare. There was no public comment. And this is where I think that the positive advocacy is missing," Cognetti said of her budget proposal.

"You know, you want to raise taxes 3%. ‘Well, it should be only 2%.’ OK, well, let’s have that conversation."

In Cognetti’s view, her work on DEI has not clashed with Scranton's interests, and she affirms that hiring the best candidates has naturally led to greater diversity in government roles.

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"We’re not doing it by cherry-picking, but by merit, and, lo and behold, City Hall looks different," Cognetti said.

"When you walk into City Hall today, there are far more people of color and far more women working there, I think, than you would have seen four years ago. And, again, it's not because we have had some grand strategy beyond really just hiring the best people for the jobs and trying to make sure that our jobs are posted in places that people are looking, right?"