Paige Cognetti, mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, is facing criticism for property tax hikes during her tenure, despite a campaign ad boasting of no new taxes. As she runs for Congress against Rep. Rob Bresnahan, opponents highlight the increases amid resident complaints. The race in Pennsylvania's 8th District is expected to be close.
Paige Cognetti was elected mayor of Scranton in a special election in November 2019 and took office on January 6, 2020. Just weeks later, on January 28, 2020, the city adopted a 2.47% property tax increase, originally proposed by the previous mayor but authorized under Cognetti's administration, according to the Times-Tribune.
In her May 2021 campaign for a full term, Cognetti released an ad claiming she "fought new taxes" and achieved a "budget surplus with no new taxes." She won re-election, but property taxes rose again in 2023 and 2024, each time by about 2%. Cognetti's administration had proposed a 3.5% increase for 2024, though it was scaled back.
Defending the hikes on local radio's "Morning News with Nancy and Jason," Cognetti said, "Over five years, we've increased taxes twice, about 2% each time. Those are responsible increases and there's things that people can manage." She added, "We don't play politics with people's finances. We don't pretend for years that we don't need to raise our taxes and then let somebody else do it years later."
Residents expressed concerns, particularly seniors. "Look at it for senior citizens. I'm like 72 years old. Where am I going to get the money from on a fixed income? This is not good," Gerry Dombroski told a local ABC affiliate during discussions of the 2024 hike.
Before taking office, Cognetti criticized Scranton's 2.4% income tax as "unbelievable," comparing it unfavorably to New York City, where "at least you get a subway." The rate has remained unchanged during her over five years in office.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Reilly Richardson called Cognetti a "political opportunist." He told The Daily Wire, "Political opportunist Paige Cognetti raised taxes on hardworking Scranton families then lied about it. Cognetti is too dishonest and too expensive to be mayor, much less a Member of Congress."
The northeastern Pennsylvania race is tight; Bresnahan won his last election by about 6,000 votes out of 385,000 cast.