(WBRE/WYOU) — Newly-elected State Representative Brenda Pugh (R-Luzerne) 120th called on city officials to remove President Joe Biden's name from signage on the expressway that leads into Scranton, claiming it "will forever be a scar" to the people of northeastern Pennsylvania.
Pugh's call for action stems from President Biden granting clemency to disgraced former Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan. Conahan and former Judge Mark Ciavarella were convicted of accepting millions of dollars in kickbacks for sending thousands of juveniles to two private detention centers in which they had a business interest. The juveniles were wrongly imprisoned for minor crimes, if any crime at all. The ordeal became known nationally as the "Kids for Cash" scandal. Pugh condemned Biden and his administration for the move.
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“Conahan’s conduct is forever a blight on Pennsylvania and is a slap in the face to the victims and their families who deserve justice to be served for his atrocious crimes. His clemency places complicity and a stamp of approval on his behavior,” Pugh said. “Children are among the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians. This decision is nothing short of a travesty and his clemency is a miscarriage of justice."
Pugh directed one of her statements at Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Biden supporter who formerly served as an advisor in the Obama administration and Scranton City Council, who voted unanimously in favor of changing the name of the Central Scranton Expressway to the President Joseph R. Biden Expressway in 2021. Cognetti then signed off on the name change.
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“I call on the mayor and council members of the City of Scranton to remove the name of the ‘President Joe Biden Expressway.’ This will forever be a scar, reminding everyone of what happened here in Northeast Pennsylvania. My heart goes out to the victims and the families who were impacted by this scheme that has forever changed their lives,” Pugh added.
This isn't the first time there have calls to remove President Biden's name from the signs. Earlier this year, an online petition was started and has now garnered over 19,000 signatures in favor of scrubbing the President's name from the highway into the Electric City. The petition also calls on the city to change Biden Street back to its original name, Spruce Street.
Petition started to change name of Scranton highway
28/22 News has reached out to Cognetti's staff for comment on Conahan's commutation and Pugh's call for name changes on the signage. We are awaiting a response.
