As Mayor, Barletta financially ruined Hazleton and attacked Pennsylvania workers — Now he wants to be “mayor of Pennsylvania.”
PENNSYLVANIA – In the far-right race to the bottom, Lou Barletta, “a failed mayor of Hazleton,” stands alone as the only contestant competing to serve Donald Trump as Pennsylvania’s… mayor?
During a recent visit to New Bethlehem, Lou Barletta said “I don’t want to be a governor […] I want to be the mayor of Pennsylvania.” While it doesn’t look like Lou got the memo that the contestants of this year’s hottest new show, the PA Apprentice, are fighting to serve Trump as Pennsylvania’s governor it’s unclear why he would want to be mayor again since his time leading Hazleton was overshadowed by controversy and financial distress.
Let’s recount some of the failings of the only candidate in the “Super-MAGA” primary fighting to become, “the mayor of Pennsylvania.”
Lou Barletta Attacks Hazleton’s Workers
Lou Barletta’s time as mayor of Hazleton helped earn him a 31 percent lifetime rating from the AFL-CIO, and made clear that “Loser Lou” is no friend to working families. That failing rating is well-deserved – Lou has the credentials to back it up. In his first 100 days as mayor alone, the four unions representing city workers filed “a record number” of grievances against him and his administration. Lou is clearly proud of his extreme anti-worker efforts during his tenure: he even bragged about throwing out contracts that protected workers and setting a single day record for the number of anti-union grievances filed against him.
Lou Barletta Bankrupts A City
As mayor, Lou Barletta put his own far-right politics first, burdening Hazleton with a million dollars in legal fees and ensuring financial ruin for years to come. After nearly a decade of Barletta’s failed leadership, his successor had to clean up his mess and file for financial relief through Act 47 status, designating Hazleton as “financially distressed.” In the end, Barletta boosted his political image and the people of Hazleton were forced to pay the price.
“Lou Barletta ran Hazleton into the ground and now he wants to do the same thing to Pennsylvania,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesperson Marisa Nahem. “As mayor of Hazleton, Lou was a miserable failure, serving as public enemy number one for working families and bankrupting his city with his extreme agenda. While Lou might be happy to run on his far-right record and proudly broadcasts his goal of becoming ‘the Mayor of Pennsylvania,’ Pennsylvanians need real leadership, not a failed mayor dedicated to serving Trump.”
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