Panel members tell Sen. Casey that their voices need to be heard

Jul. 1—WILKES-BARRE — Coming off what U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said was "a bad debate" performance by President Joe Biden last week, the Scranton Democrat held one of several roundtable discussions on Monday in Wilkes-Barre — the main topic, women's rights.

Acknowledging that Biden is in an extremely close race against former President Donald Trump, Casey also said he is facing his toughest challenge in his bid to keep his seat in the Senate.

Casey is facing Republican Dave McCormick, a veteran of the U.S. Army and a billionaire former hedge fund executive, in the November general election.

And to make it crystal clear, Casey said Pennsylvania is the state that could mean victory or defeat for control of the Senate and for Biden. Democrats hold a slim 51-49 majority in the Senate.

Casey was at the Luzerne Country Democratic Party headquarters Monday for a discussion on women's rights. The panel consisted of Alexis Eroh, Sharee Clark, Vanessa Sheridan, Melissa Gatusky, Mary Ann Petyak, Lori Volpe Answini and Sharon Wolman.

Casey began the discussion by stating, "We can't lose focus on what is at stake in this election. Voters must decide what they want — democracy and voting and women's rights, or insurrectionists."

Casey said the overturning of Rose v Wade has resulted in bans being instituted across the country.

"Do Americans want one party rule?" Casey asked. "Do they want abortion banned everywhere?"

Alexis Eroh, Plymouth Borough council member and the mother of two daughters, said she never thought she would be having this conversation.

"I never thought Roe would be overturned," Eroh said. "And there seems to be so much apathy. We have to realize we are one election away from losing everything we've gained over decades. So many of our rights are at stake. It's scary to even think about it."

The panel members agreed that their voices and the voices of women need to be heard.

Petyak said women are a large part of the Democratic Party and they will play a major role in the 2024 election.

"Republicans don't like that," she said.

Clark talked about how black voters feel disconnected — that nobody seems to be listening to their concerns.

"We feel that we don't win no matter who is in office," Clark said. "Health care is of major concern, especially black women."

Clark said black women face maternal health issues and economic disparity.

"We want to go to work and raise a family," she said. "We have a fear of going to the hospital and of giving birth. You have to figure out how to appeal to this demographic."

Clark said black voters are also concerned about jobs, affordable housing, rent control and opportunities for those re-entering society.

"Our voices need to be heard," Clark said.

Casey said he has fought for women's rights throughout his career in the Senate.

As a member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the Committee on Finance, Casey said he has a record of writing and enacting legislation that makes a difference for women in Pennsylvania. He said he fights for equal pay for equal work, more access to child care, paid family leave, and to end discrimination.

Casey said he has spoken out on the back-door attempt by right-wing politicians to implement a nationwide abortion ban. He believes our daughters and granddaughters should not grow up with fewer rights than their mothers, and he said he voted for the Women's Health Protection Act in 2022.

Casey said he has consistently opposed Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and roll back women's access to family planning care and contraception.

"Planned Parenthood plays an indispensable role in serving family planning patients that rely on the safety net in Pennsylvania and around the country," Casey said.

Casey said he has fought for 10 years to make sure workplaces treat pregnant women fairly with his Pregnant Worker Fairness Act, which passed this year and supports workers who often work until the last day possible when pregnant.

He said he fought for — and won — a 30% increase in the Child Care Development Block Grant program in a 2022 spending bill, which is projected to help the families of more than 130,000 children find and afford child care.

Casey said he fought to pass bipartisan legislation allowing recipients of federal assistance to buy safe baby formula during last year's shortage and has been a staunch supporter of expanding the Child Tax Credit and Child Care Tax Credit.

Casey said he is an original co-sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would increase penalties for employers who pay different wages to men and women for equal work.

Casey said he has also fought for programs that support victims of violence and he authored legislation to improve how colleges and universities respond to sexual assault. This legislation, the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, was signed into law by President Obama. He is now fighting to pass the Students' Access to Freedom and Educational Rights (SAFER) Act, which would create more protections for students who experience sex-based harassment on college campuses.

Project 2025

Casey and the panel also discussed the Republican-proposed Project 2025 — which Democracy Docket said is "a collection of policy transition proposals that outline how, should Trump win the November election, he can vastly remake the federal government most effectively to carry out an extremist far-right agenda."

Democracy Docket claims to be a leading digital news platform dedicated to information, analysis and opinion about voting rights and elections in the courts.

"It is not enough for conservatives to win elections," the Project 2025 website states. "If we are going to rescue the country from the grip of the radical Left, we need both a governing agenda and the right people in place, ready to carry this agenda out on day one of the next conservative administration. This is the goal of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project."

Democracy Docket says Project 2025 is a massive, 920-page document that outlines exactly what the next Trump presidency would look like. This doesn't just include policy proposals — like immigration actions, educational proposals and economic plans — but rather a portrait of the America that conservatives hope to implement in the next Republican administration, be it Trump or someone else.

Those four Project 2025 key points include:

—Restore the family as the centerpiece of American life and protect our children.

—Dismantle the administrative state and return self-governance to the American people.

—Defend our nation's sovereignty, borders, and bounty against global threats.

—Secure our God-given individual rights to live freely — what our Constitution calls "the Blessings of Liberty."

The panel members that joined Sen. Casey on Monday were:

Sharon Wolman — born and raised in Queens, New York and the Northern Adirondacks. She's been a resident of Pennsylvania since 2001. Her career has been in accounting and health care finance. She's been a registered voter since 1984 and her first campaign involvement was in 2016, when she volunteered for Hillary Clinton. Wolman has served as a Judge of Elections since 2016.

Melissa Gatusky — of Wilkes-Barre, has always been a staunch supporter of women's rights and is a firm believer in upholding the right to body autonomy. Gatusky is the Democratic committeewoman for her ward in the city of Wilkes-Barre and a member of Luzerne County Democratic Party Executive Committee.

Lori Volpe Answini — born and raised in Scranton, and has lived in Luzerne County for the past 30 years. She is an RN with a BS degree in Nursing & MS in Health Administration from the University of Scranton. She is currently employed as an RN Certified Case Manager for local Worker's Compensation insurance carrier with injured workers. She is the mother of two adult children and supporter of right to choose. Her main concern is preserving abortion rights.

Vanessa Sheridan — lives in downtown Scranton, and is originally from Dallas. She is a corporate working professional, but in her free time enjoys helping out locally with many different campaigns, candidates, and causes. She has always been extremely passionate about women's right to choose, women's access to healthcare, and protecting women's rights across the board. She has a background working in mental health and child welfare and has seen firsthand how much support is needed for young women and children here in NEPA.

Mary Ann Petyak — was born and raised in Wilkes-Barre. She is the Associate Director of Copywriting at HarperCollins Publishers where she's worked for more than 25 years. In 2017, she moved back to Wilkes-Barre from New York City with her husband for several reasons, including wanting to get involved politically and turn Luzerne County and Pennsylvania back to blue. She's worked on campaigns since 2017 and was recently elected Vice Chair of the Luzerne County Democratic Party. She has two stepdaughters and fears for their future — and the future of all American women.

Alexis Eroh — a working mother of 2 girls (4 & 8 years old), she is a member of Plymouth Borough Council and also president of Plymouth Alive. She works as a Contract Manager for a global affiliate marketing company. As a woman struggling to survive in this political landscape, her current concerns are chiefly around reproductive healthcare and the increasing cost of childcare.

Sharee Clark — a native New Yorker who spent her adolescent years advocating for LGBTQ rights as a peer educator for the Aids Center of Queens County. In 2013 Sharee relocated to Wilkes Barre and Co-Founded Freedom Fighters, a grassroots organization dedicated to fighting for justice and equality. Since that time, she has participated in the planning and execution of several community building projects.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.