WILKES-BARRE — Like a gunslinger reaching into his holster, John Chrin pulled out his wallet and showed two forms of identification — his driver’s license and his permit to carry a concealed weapon — that each clearly show an address in Skytop, Monroe County.

Obviously, it wasn’t the first time Chrin, a 55-year-old Republican, was asked to prove where he lives. His opponent, three-term Democrat incumbent U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright of Moosic, has made it a key point in the campaign for the 8th Congressional District seat. Cartwright’s television commercial refers to Chrin as being from New Jersey.

“It’s a joke,” Chrin said of the allegation he doesn’t live in the district he seeks to represent. “And my values are the same core values of the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania.”

Chrin said he did live outside the district, but decided to move back because he wanted to represent the people he identifies with most.

“My opponent should be more concerned about his record and lack of accomplishment,” Chrin said of Cartwright. “I have always had deep and genuine ties to this area. It’s home.”

Putting his ID cards back into his wallet, Chrin then talked about the issues facing Pennsylvania and the country. He said if voters want higher taxes, more regulation, high costs for health care, sanctuary cities and open borders, then they should vote for his opponent.

Chrin, who earned the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation in his work on Wall Street, said he will protect Social Security and Medicare and he will work to make health care affordable. Any plan he supports will accept people with pre-existing conditions.

“We have to cover those people,” Chrin said. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Chrin said the government needs to negotiate better prices for Medicare, especially when it comes to prescription drug costs. He also favors negotiating lower legal costs he says are embedded in the system and tort reform.

Chrin said government “made a sacred promise” to the people who have paid into Social Security.

“I will never cut it,” he pledged. “We must make it strong and remove all fraud. To say otherwise is just shameless, slimy politics.”

He even promised his mother he would never hurt Social Security.

“Not this Republican,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s your reputation that matters most.”

Border, gun rights

Chrin would do away with sanctuary cities and he wants to secure our borders. His wife is from Honduras, and Chrin said there are plenty of legal paths to enter the U.S. He said embassies have long lines with people seeking visas to allow them to enter our country.

“We have to secure our borders,” Chrin said. “We have to stop the drugs, the guns, the human trafficking and the gangs.”

Regarding the opioid crisis, Chrin said doctors are over-prescribing painkillers and prescriptions often contain more pills than needed.

Chrin said he will always support the Second Amendment — the right to bear arms. And he was quick to condemn the attacks on a synagogue in Pittsburgh and hate bombs that were mailed to Democratic leaders across the country.

“What comes to mind first is the need to increase mental health funding to address this,” Chrin said. “We definitely need more money to be allocated.”

‘Not making career of this’

Chrin told a story about campaigning in Lackawanna County when he stopped to talk to a woman on her porch who recognized him. She said she was “voting for Matt.” Chrin said he still talked to the woman about the issues.

He also told her he would represent all of the people of the district, regardless of their political affiliations.

Getting emotional, Chrin said when the conversation ended, the woman said she changed her mind and would vote for him.

“And now she is my spokesperson for her block,” he said.

Chrin said he is pro-life and he supports funding for education and he will work diligently to attract good-paying, family-sustaining jobs.

Chrin said he is not a politician but has a solid business sense and common sense.

“I am running to give back to the communities of Northeastern Pa. who made me who I am today,” Chrin said. “I do not plan on making a career of this. If elected, I will be the only Certified Financial Planner (CFP) in Congress. I can make a difference Day One advising on key issues affecting financial services and small businesses across the country.”

Chrin said Cartwright “is a multi-millionaire. As for his own financial situation, he acknowledged: “I have done very well.”

“We won’t stop knocking on doors until the last vote is cast,” said Chrin. “We are getting our message out to the voters and they know they have a choice. “We have a strong economy and I will work to see that trend continue.”

Times Leader
By Bill O'Boyle
November 2, 2018