Photo credit – Justin Merriman
The race for Erie mayor is getting national attention. After Erie County voted for President Trump, the first Republican since Ronald Reagan, many are wondering if the City of Erie will elect its first Republican mayor since 1961. If a recent NY Post article is any indication of where voters stand, it may happen.
John Persinger has been meeting voters throughout the city and some Democrat voters are impressed. He’s going to neighborhoods and businesses finding out what’s on their minds and asking questions about what they need. He freely admits his Democrat opponent, Joe Schember is one of nicest guys you’ll meet, but there’s a feeling the voters are ready for a change. As one voter puts it:
Look, we tried the old ways; we have had nothing but Democrats running this city and managing the decline. It is time to place someone young with different ideas and the willingness to listen in charge.
Persinger’s background and qualification are a bit different than the usual candidates the city has to choose from:
He got his undergrad degree at Harvard, where he was captain of the swim team; he also competed in the 2000 US Olympic team trials.
From there he served as an aide in the George W. Bush White House and then chief of staff at the US Embassy in Australia, where he met his wife, a journalist fluent in Arabic. He left government for Notre Dame Law School, but when the couple started to have children, they decided Erie held the most promise for their young family.
It’s a fascinating article well worth your time. If he wins the election, you can bet there will be a lot more attention coming from around the country to see exactly what’s happening in Erie, PA.
Read the full article in the New York Post
