Candidate for 108th House seat objects to petition

Feb. 21—SUNBURY — An objection was filed Tuesday against the petition submitted by Sunbury resident Tom Webb in his attempt to get on the Republican ballot for the 108th state House District in the upcoming primary election.

The petitioners were William Krohn and Robert Boyers. No date has been set on the hearing as of Wednesday.

Webb filed more than 360 signatures on his petition. He needed 300 to get on the ballot. The objection has to do with a number of unspecified problems with some of the signatures, according to the documents.

"Let's see how it washes out," said Webb, responding to the objection on Tuesday afternoon. "It's their right to do so. Statistically the law averages one to two percent bad, so they would have to find fifteen to twenty percent bad of our signatures.

"We'll see what happens at the hearing," Webb added.

Webb's candidacy would challenge incumbent state Rep. Michael Stender who announced his intention to seek reelection in 2024 to represent the 108th, which includes all of Montour County; Sunbury; the townships of Delaware, East Chillisquaque, Lewis, Point, Rockefeller, Rush, Turbot, Upper Augusta, and West Chillisquaque; and the boroughs of McEwensville, Milton, Northumberland, Riverside, Snydertown, Turbotville and Watsontown in Northumberland County.

Stender won a special election in May to represent the 108th Legislative District. He replaced former representative and current state Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver.

"My viewpoint is that in Pennsylvania we have an election code that all candidates have to follow," Stender said. "We disagree on how that was followed. My focus is on my campaign. Going out, knocking on doors and meeting with voters in the 108th district, and hearing their concerns to take back to Harrisburg."

Webb said, "my opponent is afraid to run on his record."

Stender said he is running on a strong conservative voting record.

"In the last eight months, I have voted over 700 times on the House floor and the record speaks for itself, and how I have represented the people of the 108th District," he said. "I'll continue to work for them in Harrisburg."

Webb said he is running because of how Stender was chosen for the seat.

"The reason that I am running is that my opponent was literally selected by eleven citizens in the 108th in a conferee process," Webb said. "Representation was selected for us. Why not allow the voters to pick their representation?

"Legacy candidates have not been good for our area, constantly running unchallenged. And what has that gotten us?"