Cognetti Sought 3% Tax Hike to Fund $25,500 DEI Role in 2023

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 9

$25,500 for a DEI coordinator was included in Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti’s 2023 budget proposal, which paired the new role with a 3% property tax increase.
The hike was projected to raise $957,000 to help cover eight proposed hires costing $380,500, including police and fire chiefs, a business administrator, solicitor and public works director.
Scranton’s city council never adopted that budget, and Cognetti later said on a podcast that the DEI position was cut without public debate.
Now running for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, Cognetti has defended her diversity push as merit-based while her campaign counters by noting rival Rob Bresnahan’s company received $162,000 in federal contracts as a women-owned business.