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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; About 50 guests got to question &#8212; and occasionally debate with &#8212; Democratic state representatives and senators over a buffet-style breakfast Saturday at King&#8217;s College.</p><p>The League of Women Voters, Wilkes-Barre Chapter, held it&#8217;s annual legislative breakfast at the Sheehey-Farmer Campus Center, offering members and the public a chance to become more acquainted with the area&#8217;s most prominent political figures and learn more about their positions on issues.</p><p>The league is a non-partisan, national organization with chapters across the U.S. with a mission &#8220;to create democracy for all citizens and let their voices be heard,&#8221; according to organization literature. Locally, the league produces government directories, questionnaires for state and municipal candidates as well as election information that is run for all candidates in newspapers before local elections.</p><p>Sitting in the front of the room, Sen. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, and state Reps. Mike Carroll, D-Avoca, and Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, answered questions on issues ranging from tax and pension reforms to problems with state driver&#8217;s licenses and voter ID.</p><p>Chapter treasurer Chris McLaughlin said that in past years, at least 10 state legislators have attended the event, but many had to decline this year&#8217;s invitation because schedule changes related to actions taken by President Donald Trump in the past week. However, she said, the smaller panel lent itself to a more intimate and informal exchange with guests.</p><p>League board member Mischelle Anthony agreed, although she did admit she wished that a member from the Republican Party could have attended to provide a more balanced representation of views.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s unfortunate that we don&#8217;t have the opinion of our other representatives,&#8221; she said, adding that while Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, initially accepted the invitation, he had to cancel due to a death in the family.</p><p>Starting with tax reform, League board member and event moderator Susan Ferentino got the legislators to answer numerous audience questions, including the way politicians get their campaign funding.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s been such an infusion of money into the system, it&#8217;s poisoning the Democratic process,&#8221; Pashinski said, giving an example of one candidate spending $25,000 to $50,000 to run a local campaign versus an opposing candidate who&#8217;s being privately funded spending upwards of $250,000. &#8220;Once that person that was financed gets a position, who are they beholding to? They&#8217;re beholding to the money that got them elected. That&#8217;s what&#8217;s wrong with the system.&#8221;</p><p>Yudichak said he attends the breakfast event yearly, adding that it&#8217;s great way to connect with the people he serves and to understand their concerns.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s good to get that perspective and have a debate,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That&#8217;s what our democracy is about, is having access to your leaders.&#8221;</p><p>Yudichak also said that he enjoyed hearing the questions guests had for him and his fellow representatives, adding that he believes more people have become engaged in the political process following President Trump&#8217;s inauguration.</p><p>&#8220;There shouldn&#8217;t be a distance between a legislator and the citizens &#8230; and I&#8217;m always going to be a citizen, so I like leveling the playing field,&#8221; Yudichak said.</p><p>Following the event, Wyoming resident Helen Macareo said she enjoyed attending her first the breakfast and plans to attend many more.</p><p>&#8220;I just wanted to be a little more informed,&#8221; Macareo said. &#8220;They made it clear with what&#8217;s going on, how to work with it and accomplish things.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">State Sen. John Yudichak speaks at the annual League of Women Voters legislative breakfast at King&#8217;s College in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ttl020517legislative-1-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>State Sen. John Yudichak speaks at the annual League of Women Voters legislative breakfast at King&#8217;s College in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ttl020517legislative-2-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wendy Caminsky, of Dallas, and Marc Dixon, of Mountain Top, listen to area legislators at the breakfast. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ttl020517legislative-2-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wendy Caminsky, of Dallas, and Marc Dixon, of Mountain Top, listen to area legislators at the breakfast. </caption1><photoCredit1>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ttl020517legislative-3-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Susan Ferentino, the moderator for the breakfast question-and-answer period, asks the panel of legistlators about a topic of concern for members of the audience. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ttl020517legislative-3-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Susan Ferentino, the moderator for the breakfast question-and-answer period, asks the panel of legistlators about a topic of concern for members of the audience. </caption2><photoCredit2>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ttl020517legislative-4-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Nancy Frey, of Wilkes-Barre, president of the local chapter of the League of Women Voters, listens to the panel during the legislative breakfast. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ttl020517legislative-4-2.jpg</photo3><caption3>Nancy Frey, of Wilkes-Barre, president of the local chapter of the League of Women Voters, listens to the panel during the legislative breakfast. </caption3><photoCredit3>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ttl020517legislative5-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">State Rep. Eddie Pashinski addresses a question as state Rep. Mike Carroll looks on. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_ttl020517legislative5-2.jpg</photo4><caption4>State Rep. Eddie Pashinski addresses a question as state Rep. Mike Carroll looks on. </caption4><photoCredit4>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marcella Kester</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>ON THE WEB</strong></p><p>To learn more about the League of Women Voters and upcoming events, visit <a href="http://www.lwv.org" target="_blank">www.lwv.org</a>.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Democratic legislators answer questions at League of Women Voters breakfast