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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; When Mayor Tony George attends Crime Watch meetings in the coming weeks, he said he won&#8217;t be there as a candidate, even though he&#8217;s running for re-election and his campaign co-chair, Charlotte Raup, is president of the coalition of neighborhood watch groups.</p><p>George on Friday distinguished between his different roles &#8212; and which one he will assume at the meetings in the run-up to the May 21 Democrat primary against Brian Ferry and former city councilman George Brown, who ran for mayor in 2015.</p><p>&#8220;The Crime Watch is always non-political,&#8221; George said.</p><p>But Jenis Walsh, spokeswoman for the Brown for Mayor campaign, issued a one-sentence statement: &#8220;The public can decide what this is.&#8221;</p><p>George said he&#8217;s attended the meetings with members of his administration since he took office in 2016 and has kept a promise made during his first campaign that also was managed by Raup, president of the Wilkes-Barre Crime Watch Coalition.</p><p>&#8220;This is the fourth year I&#8217;ve been doing it,&#8221; George said.</p><p>The mayor has chosen not to attend city council meetings that have a public comment period. George said residents don&#8217;t want to come downtown to the council meetings because of the behavior of some people who regularly comment. &#8220;They don&#8217;t want to go and listen to that,&#8221; George said.</p><p>Residents have been happy with the neighborhood meetings where they also have the opportunity to speak, George said. &#8220;I&#8217;m there to listen to them,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Raup added that the Crime Watch meetings are a better setting for residents.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not political at all,&#8221; Raup said, adding, &#8220;I think it&#8217;s a great venue.&#8221;</p><p>The mayor tried City Hall for a Day events during the daytime that were poorly attended. The Crime Watch meetings are the night-time version of City Hall for a Day and more convenient for residents, Raup said.</p><p>City council meets at night too, Raup acknowledged. But when asked if the topics discussed at the Crime Watch meetings couldn&#8217;t be brought to the council sessions, Raup responded, &#8220;No, because it&#8217;s neighborhood problems. And people like that.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Ferry: No concerns</strong></p><p>Ferry, a newcomer to city politics, had no concerns with George&#8217;s attending the Crime Watch meetings.</p><p>&#8220;At the end of the day, I doubt our citizens are concerned about the mayor using this to push his political agenda,&#8221; Ferry said in an email.</p><p>Drive-by shootings have rattled residents in the past week and the mayor should be attending the meetings &#8220;to relieve citizens&#8217; concerns,&#8221; Ferry said.</p><p>&#8220;Politics aside this is where the mayor belongs. The more information he has to effectively do his job to keep the city safe is great,&#8221; Ferry said.</p><p>Ferry also credited Raup for being &#8220;a great partner to the city over the last number of years.&#8221; He said, &#8220;if elected I hope to maintain that relationship, as well as expand upon it.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Upcoming meetings</strong></p><p>The schedule for upcoming Crime Watch neighborhood meetings is as follows:</p><p>&#8226; Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Heights, Marymount Center, 154 S. Hancock St.</p><p>&#8226; March 4, 7 p.m., South Wilkes-Barre, Downtown &amp; Goose Island, Central United Methodist Church, 65 Academy St.</p><p>&#8226; March 11, 7 p.m., East End, Primitive Methodist Church, 79 Laurel St.</p><p>&#8226; March 21, 7 p.m., Parsons &amp; Miners Mills, Parish of St. Benedict, 155 Austin Ave.</p><p>&#8226; March 25, 7 p.m., North End &amp; Brookside, St. Mary&#8217;s Social Hall, 522 Madison St.</p><p>&#8226; April 2, 7 p.m., Rolling Mill Hill, Mayflower, Iron Triangle, St. Andrew&#8217;s, 316 Parrish St.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Attendees listen to a presentation during a July 2018 Crime Watch meeting at Central United Methodist Church in South Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_crime_watch4_faa-1-.jpg</photo0><caption0>Attendees listen to a presentation during a July 2018 Crime Watch meeting at Central United Methodist Church in South Wilkes-Barre. </caption0><photoCredit0>Times Leader file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre mayor’s Crime Watch connection a campaign issue for one challenger, not so for another