WILKES-BARRE — Make no mistake about it, Paige Cognetti is running for reelection in November as Mayor of Scranton — but she sure sounds like a candidate for Congress.
Cognetti, 45, said she is “seriously considering” running for the Democratic nomination in the 8th Congressional District to try to unseat first-term Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Dallas Township.
Cognetti said she would make a decision within the next few weeks as she campaigns to keep her job as Scranton’s Mayor.
So why is Cognetti considering a run for Congress?
“It was never my plan to consider a run for Congress — just like running for Scranton mayor was not my plan,” she said. “And just like running for Scranton School Board was not my plan. And just like working for the PA Auditor General was not my plan.”
But after talking with her for a couple of hours, it seems that she does have a plan for this run for Congress — just in case.
Cognetti said she has always run toward a burning fire and once again, she said she is sensing a “district-wide disaster” due to what she called “the substantive impact” the votes Bresnahan has cast that are already negatively affecting working families, seniors and the most vulnerable in our community.
An important side note: If she would win the seat in Congress, then Scranton would hold a special election for Mayor — meaning voters would still get to choose their Mayor. In fact, Cognetti came into office through a special election.
The why
Cognetti repeated several times that her immediate priority is running for mayor — but she has always explored ways to best serve the public. It’s in her DNA. She said she would make her decision in the coming weeks.
Cognetti said the heart of her work has always been fairness and the well-being of everyone — no matter where they’re from, who they know, or what political party they belong to.
“What’s happening to the most vulnerable in our community is despicable,” she said.
Over the past few weeks, Cognetti said she has heard from — and held countless conversations with — constituents, government and community leaders and she’s consulted with her family.
“It’s become increasingly clear that the challenges facing Northeastern Pennsylvania demand dedicated leadership and someone who is not afraid to buck the party, buck the special interest groups, stand up for what’s right, no matter who they piss off,” Cognetti said. “And I have pissed off a lot of people to fight for what’s right.”
Cognetti said she is humbled by the groundswell of support and encouragement being shown to her. She said she feels she owes it to all the residents of NEPA to take a good, hard look at pursuing a Congressional seat.
Talking issues
Cognetti was eager to discuss how she sees the impacts of the Trump Administration’s dismantling of federal agencies and the “Big Beautiful Bill.”
“My commitment to serving as mayor remains steadfast,” she said. “But I am also actively listening to residents’ very real concerns about the devastating impact Trump’s federal agenda and Rob Bresnahan’s voting record have and will have on our area.”
Those concerns include:
• Cancellation of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and the dismantling of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — Cognetti said those decisions “completely decimated disaster relief, recovery (BRIC program), and prevention efforts and put first responders in even more danger.”
• Cognetti said “the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill” is a direct attack on the health and well-being of Northeastern Pennsylvanians.
“It strips health care from working families and children with special needs, risks food insecurity for our children and seniors, threatens to close hospitals and nursing homes, and shifts crushing costs onto our communities — all to hand out tax breaks to billionaires,” Cognetti said. “We shouldn’t be making kids, families and seniors suffer to make the super wealthy even wealthier.”
• Cognetti said new economic policies such as tariffs, trade wars and massive job cuts “are a threat to job growth, are driving up inflation, and are already negatively affecting the price of goods — from groceries to back-to-school items — for already cash-strapped working families.”
And since her first day in office, Cognetti said she has been enacting a Scranton DOGE effort with a “scalpel” versus a “chainsaw.”
• The need for federal checks and balances and local representation in Congress — “While the Trump administration is getting more and more involved in the governance and oversight of America’s cities out of retribution and spite, our elected representative in Congress is ignoring our district’s real needs and voting for policies that will harm our constituents and our economy,” Cognetti said.
This past April, Cognetti was elected a Trustee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and has established relationships with mayors nationwide. She said she hears the same stories about the Trump administration’s detrimental effects on their cities directly from them.
While she always said mayors are the “political first responders” — the first ones on the scene and at ground zero when crisis hits — she’s said she is starting to realize that mayors have to step up and proactively serve on the front lines.
Scranton by the numbers
Cognetti is proud of the work her administration has accomplished in a few short years and is excited to continue progressing toward a better and brighter future for all.
She said so far, she’s:
• Invested $26.7 in parks & pools, $9 million in road paving projects in 2025 alone, $23 million in stormwater infrastructure, $20 million in streetscape projects, $5 million to preserve City Hall.
• Successfully secured $155 million in federal and state grants, earned $6.6 million in interest, saved $2.2 million by refinancing bonds.
• Spent more than $4 million on police technology and training, hired five new full-time police officers, added 51 new police vehicles and a $1.4 million ladder truck.
• Welcomed 238 new shops and eateries, issued 10,000 building permits in three years.
• Removed 72 blighted structures while holding absentee landlords accountable, with another 16 currently under contract to be demolished.
• Restored over 500 priority crosswalks, replaced 500 stop signs, and upgraded over 3,100 street signs.
• Issued over 150 requests for proposals (RFPs) through an open and transparent bidding process to advance essential projects.
• Collected $230,000 from nonprofits for payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) so far this year.
Mayor Paige’s bio
Cognetti was first sworn in as the 36th Mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, in January 2020. She said her administration is focused on driving economic growth, upgrading infrastructure, ensuring public safety, and improving residents’ overall quality of life.
An Oregon native, Cognetti said she fell in love with Northeastern Pennsylvania and moved to Scranton more than a decade ago. She is committed to establishing a government that serves its citizens effectively, ethically, and with their best interests at heart.
With an MBA from Harvard and financial experience at Goldman Sachs, she has tackled Scranton’s longstanding economic issues not just through policy, but also through a business lens.
Paige’s foundation in government oversight, investment management and international relations was formed in Washington, D.C.
During the Obama administration, she served as Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for International Affairs and Managing Director for China Operations in the U.S. Treasury Department.
During the Biden Administration, she was appointed to the U.S. Advisory Committee for Trade Policy, the agency that plays a crucial role in shaping tariff structures.
Throughout her career, she has remained a staunch advocate for good government and transparency, officially entering politics in 2017 after securing a seat on the Scranton School Board with the intention of helping the district navigate its dual crisis of financial distress and public mistrust.
As a result of her successful efforts, she was asked to serve as an advisor to the Pennsylvania Auditor General, the Commonwealth’s chief fiscal watchdog, on the oversight of Pennsylvania’s public school districts and the care provided to older adults in assisted living and nursing homes across the state.
In a special election, the lifelong Democrat stunned Scranton’s political establishment when she ran as an independent amidst the backdrop of a political landscape plagued by the personal interest of local party leaders.
She soundly won the mayor’s office in 2019 and in 2021, she ran for reelection to a full term as a Democrat and won in a landslide.
In addition to her MBA degree from Harvard Business School, Cognetti graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oregon Clark Honors College.
When Paige met Ryan
Cognetti was working for Chris Kearney’s Congressional campaign, living in Towanda in the house of a campaign supporter, and commuting back and forth to Scranton.
“I was on a cycle where I was either eating pizza in Scranton or Subway hoagies from the Towanda Walmart,” she said. “While driving through Clarks Summit one afternoon on my long commute, I saw a sign that said ‘fresh foods’ and I thought it was about time I ate a vegetable.”
Cognetti said she really wanted a hot latte and a sandwich for dinner.
“I stopped in Caravia Fresh Foods and that’s when I first met Ryan,” she said. “He gave me some chocolate with my latte and sandwich. So, I went back again and that time, I brought someone with me to test the waters.
“I then went back a third time and that’s when he asked me out. I had moved to Lackawanna County at that point and he asked for my number, offering to show me around. And the rest, as they say, is history.”
Paige and Ryan are parents of two daughters.