Wvc Seniors Enjoy Mixed Success In Indoor All-star Games

2 Men Hurt In Attack At W-b Group Home

Sunday, February 08, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B 





GOP candidates for commissioner line up for '99 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Red Jones called it ``a mid-term perspective on county government'' and a &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ``gathering of many good friends.'' But you can mark it down that the &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 $20-a-ticket fund-raising breakfast he had recently at Convention Hall in &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pittston Township really was the unofficial launch of his 1999 campaign for
re-election to another four-year term as county commissionerThe breakfast,
attended by 450 to 500 people, produced a tidy sum of money for Jones'
campaign treasury and left him genuinely pleased with the turnout and the
compliments he received from his legions of personal supporters and loyalists. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As with most of these fund-raising deals, political talk was heard around
the tables about whom the Republicans will have as candidates for county
offices that will be contested next year- with most of the speculation and
name dropping centering on whom is thinking about running for county
commissioner. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jones, of course, will need a running mate during his second try for
commissioner, and while a couple of names have been heard as possibilities, he
ducks for cover when you bring it up. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's premature to talk about that," he says, "but I can tell that I know
of at least one person who will run against me and that's Clarence Michael." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No doubt there will be others- such as Paul DeFabo or John Gibbons or even
former County Commissioner Jim Phillips- who will want to challenge Jones and
whomever his eventual running mate is. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Phillips, by the way, just might have the itch to run again. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 About three weeks ago, he said, "I'm just sitting back and surveying the
Republican situation and the rest of the county scene," all the while hinting
that he might make a stab at toppling Jones next time around. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Before that time comes, though," Phillips says of any 1999 county
commissioner candidacy, "I will be doing all that I can to help Tom Ridge get
re-elected governor this year." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 DeFabo seems like a natural opponent for Jones. He's his own party's
biggest and most vocal critic and never misses a chance to bad-mouth the party
organization's leadership, most especially Jones. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gibbons is known as a taxpayer advocate. He, along with Phillips, was on
the point in the battle awhile back against passage of the arena referendum. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Aside from the talk about who might go against Jones next spring, at least
two names have come up as possible running mates for him. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One is Eric Aigeldinger, a member of the Crestwood School Board, and the
other is Dan Guydish, mayor of West Hazleton. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I haven't talked to either of them," Jones says, "but they both attended
my breakfast and they both brought along a number of folks from their areas,
which I appreciated." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Aigeldinger once was a candidate for county sheriff, which makes Jones
think that he'll run for that office again. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As for Guydish, Jones says he's had no contact

Gop Candidates For Commissioner Line Up For '99 
Red Jones Called It ``a Mid-term Perspective On County Government'' And A 
``gathering Of Many Good Friends.'' But You Can Mark It Down That The 
$20-a-ticket Fund-raising Breakfast He Had Recently At Convention Hall In 
Pittston Township Really Was The Unofficial Launch Of His 1999 Campaign For 
Re-election To Another Four-year Term As County Commissioner.