Democratic Socialist Mayor Mamdani's NYC budget slashes 5,000 NYPD jobs while allocating millions to racial equity and diversity roles.
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, once proposed raising taxes to make room for a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer.
A "DEI coordinator" was among eight new hires in the city’s 2023 proposed budget and would have set aside $25,500 for the position. In order to cover the costs of that opening and those of a police chief, a fire chief, a business administrator, a solicitor and a director of public works, the budget included a 3% property tax increase, estimated to generate $957,000 for the city.
The positions themselves were estimated to cost $380,500. That budget was ultimately not adopted.
Cognetti’s proposed plan highlights her beliefs about diversity in government and the directness with which government should pursue representation among certain demographics as she looks to flip one of the country’s most competitive districts and unseat incumbent Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa.
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Scranton, Pennsylvania mayor Paige Cognetti speaks at a Safer America rally. President Joe Biden visited Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to discuss his plan to reform gun control. During his speech, he touted beating the NRA. Biden is visiting cities for his Safer America plan. (Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
In the past, Cognetti has highlighted her purposeful pursuit of diversity in government.
"We’re not doing this for the publicity. We’re doing this quietly so that these conversations just become the norm," Cognetti said in a podcast appearance.
When asked about the DEI proposals and the 2023 budget, the Cognetti campaign pointed out th
