PLAINS TWP. — John Chrin says four main issues divide him and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, his opponent for the 8th Congressional District seat in the November election.

Chrin, a 55-year-old Republican who lives in Barrett Twp., Monroe County, stopped at the Cafe in Plains Twp. on Tuesday for a lunchtime meet-and-greet with local supporters.

Chrin said he and Cartwright, a Democrat from Moosic, do not agree on economic development; “job-stifling” regulation; health care; and sanctuary cities.

People who support heavy governmental regulation of business, the Affordable Care Act and an open-border policy on immigration should vote for his opponent, Chrin said.

Health care reform, especially, is critical, since the cost of medical care continues to spike upward, according to Chrin. He recommended privatization.

“We can’t nationalize health care,” Chrin said.

However, Chrin said he supports Social Security and cost-of-living increases for recipients, despite claims to the contrary in ads run by the Cartwright campaign.

Chrin said he is “a huge advocate of legal immigration,” noting that his wife’s family immigrated from Honduras. However, the influx of illegal immigrants brings problems such as drug-related crime and human trafficking, he said.

Chrin disputed Cartwright’s claims that he is a Wall Street banker who lived in New Jersey until recently and does not understand the needs of Northeast Pennsylvania residents.

Chrin said he grew up in the Lehigh Valley, graduated from Easton Area High School and worked his way through Lehigh University before embarking on a successful career in banking and finance that took him to New York and New Jersey.

He purchased a home in Skytop, a private resort community in the Poconos, earlier this year since he had fond memories of working there during summers as a young man, then returning for vacations with his family, he said.

Chrin said his experience in financial planning will prove to be an asset in Congress, which includes hundreds of lawyers but not many finance professionals.

He also said he would bring energy and enthusiasm to Washington, calling himself a “glass-half-full kind of guy.”

Following this year’s redistricting, the 8th Congressional District includes portions of Luzerne, Lackawanna, Pike, Wayne and Monroe counties.

It covers much of the territory that had been included in the 17th Congressional District, prior to redistricting. Cartwright has represented the 17th District since 2013.

The Citizens Voice
By Eric Mark
Sept 19, 2018