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Former Hazleton mayor Mike Marsicano said he doesn’t like the direction the country is going in and wants to go to Washington to make a difference.

Marsicano, 68 of Hazle Township, is the Democratic candidate in the 11th Congressional District and is hoping to unseat three-term Republican incumbent Lou Barletta, a former mayor of Hazleton.

“I think people are fed up with people like Barletta,” Marsicano said. “It’s supposed to be an honor to go to Washington, not a career.”

Marsicano favors term limits for members of Congress, adding long-term members “have reached their shelf life in politics.”

Marsicano doesn’t feel the 11th District has been adequately represented by Barletta.

“He’s never around,” Marsicano said. “The word I’ve been getting on the street is that he (Barletta) doesn’t show up when he is needed — that he’s not paying attention to his constituents and their needs.”

Marsicano said his campaign is “self-funded” and he wants the opportunity to represent the people of the area where he lives. He said he has been campaigning door-to-door and has relied on television advertising and social media to get his message out.

“I go everywhere I’m asked to go,” he said. “Unlike my opponent who sends surrogates.”

<strong>ISSUES</strong>

<strong>Economy/jobs:</strong> Marsicano said the job markets in America are diminishing daily, adding that over regulation, whether it be the coal industry or the independent truck driver, is not producing family-sustaining jobs.

He favors reforming the tax code for small businesses to allow for economic growth. He said all start-up costs should be tax deductible and all regulatory restraints for small businesses must be cut.

<strong>National security/Border control:</strong> Marsicano said the primary responsibility of government is the protection of its people and the U.S. is threatened by radical Islamic terrorists.

Police in America are under attack and it must stop, he said. He said the police are the protectors of the helpless and final defense from anarchy and he will work to pass legislation to support the American military.

He said the law in America has always been, for those in the country illegally, that they are subject to deportation but added the law has not been enforced for at least 30 years.

<strong>Energy/Natural gas/Global sarming:</strong> Marsicano said he has spoken to people at NASA who tell him records of temperatures from the 1800s to today indicate some of what is reported is not exactly accurate. He believes in what the scientists know to be facts, that the entire solar system has warmed and cooled at different levels since temperatures have been recorded. He said theories and assumptions should be researched by NASA.

<strong>Gridlock in Washington:</strong> Marsicano said term limits will put an end to gridlock and all other dysfunction and divisiveness in Washington. He said the majority of decisions made by elected officials are made to perpetuate their own political existence.

<strong>Social Security/Medicare/Minimum wage:</strong> Marsicano said health care must be improved; individuals who buy their own health insurance should be given tax credits in the same way employers are. He said competition is the best way to lower costs and laws must be change to allow individuals and businesses to buy health insurance across state lines. “The people, not the government, know what plan best suits their family,” he said.

He favors the pre-existing conditions provision included in all health insurance.

<strong>Racial tension: </strong>With the election of Barack Obama, some in our country believed the inherent racial bias was removed from our society — not true, Marsicano said. “There will always be people who hold a bias against another,” he said. “Government cannot remove discrimination or bias from an individual by legislation.”

<strong>Taxation: </strong>Marsicano favors smaller government and reducing taxes as opposed to increasing them. He said the loopholes in tax laws must be changed.

<strong>U.S. Supreme Court: </strong>A Supreme Court Justice who protects the Constitution is needed, Marsicano said. “I am a conservative, and so the record of the nominee along the lines of constitutional law would be a consideration for their nomination.”

To learn more about key Election Day races and issues, visit the <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/tag/Election2016" target="_blank">Times Leader election page</a>

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<div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_Marsicano-tab-1.jpgMarsicano</div>
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<div class="neCaption">Former Hazleton mayor Mike Marsicano announces his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the 11th U.S. Congressional District seat on the steps of the former Hazleton High School.</div>
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<div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_marsicano01-1.jpgFormer Hazleton mayor Mike Marsicano announces his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the 11th U.S. Congressional District seat on the steps of the former Hazleton High School. Pete G. Wilcox file photo | Times Leader</div>
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By Bill O’Boyle

boboyle@www.timesleader.com

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<strong>MICHAEL P. MARSICANO</strong>

<strong>Age:</strong> 68

<strong>Political party:</strong> Democratic

<strong>Incumbent:</strong> No

<strong>Hometown: </strong>Hazle Township

<strong>Family:</strong> Parents, Paul and Doris Marsicano; daughter, Michelle Marsicano Barron

<strong>The 11th Congressional District of Pennsylvania</strong> is comprised of all of Columbia, Montour and Wyoming counties and parts of Carbon, Cumberland, Dauphin, Luzerne, Northumberland, and Perry counties. Major locations in the district include Harrisburg, Sunbury, Carlisle, Tunkhannock, Hazleton, Bloomsburg and Danville.

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Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.

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Marsicano hopes to change the country’s direction