Candidate will help government work for the good of all

Published on March 8, 2010 by The Times Leader

COREY O’BRIEN appears to be a go-getter, and Democratic voters in the 11th Congressional District should give him a shot to go get a seat in the House of Representatives.

The Moosic resident, 36, impressed our endorsement panel as an earnest, energetic candidate who, if elected, will push for needed government reforms and work for the betterment of the entire region, not merely his turf.

O’Brien is among three men, including 13-term incumbent Rep. Paul Kanjorski, vying for the Democratic nomination in the May 18 primary election. The winner will face Republican Lou Barletta, mayor of Hazleton, in the fall general election.

Elected a Lackawanna County commissioner in 2007, O’Brien quickly championed reform efforts. He voted to implement a code of ethics and ban the acceptance of gifts. “We’re doing things differently,” he said.

O’Brien supports a federal “pay-as-you-go” system that would discourage lawmakers from expanding the deficit. On the campaign trail, O’Brien also touts an economic development plan he devised, “Project Main Street,” which he believes would foster job growth. Our panel wasn’t fully sold on the concept, but agreed it demonstrated O’Brien’s commitment to bringing resources to the district, improving employment prospects and thinking “big picture.” The 11th District encompasses all of Carbon, Columbia and Monroe counties and portions of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, including the cities of Hazleton, Nanticoke, Pittston and Wilkes-Barre.

O’Brien, who has a law license, first lobbied for federal funds at 18, urging the construction of a Dunmore community center. He served as an intern in the Clinton White House and, upon returning to this region, started a public affairs television program on Fox 56.