'Target' on Johnstown: Could tug of war over turbulent 72nd District tip the scales of power in Pa. House?

Apr. 8—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The 72nd Legislative District is arguably one of the most politically important and closely watched districts in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives right now.

Republicans outnumber Democrats by approximately 1,200 registered voters in the district, which covers much of Cambria County, including Johnstown. The city was brought into the district when maps were redrawn following the 2020 U.S. Census.

But in highly partisan times when gerrymandering is prominent, the 72nd District is an anomaly since it is represented by an elected official from the party with fewer registered voters — eighth-term state Rep. Frank Burns, D-East Taylor Township. In a red sea of GOP-controlled seats in western and central Pennsylvania, the 72nd is a lone blue dot. Republicans have repeatedly eyed it as a district they think can be flipped.

Meanwhile, Burns has an adversarial relationship with many local political power brokers, including leaders of the nonprofit economic development-focused group Vision Together 2025.

But he still won last year's general election by nine percentage points against Republican Renae Billow — a race in which the candidates and their supporters spent more than $1 million combined, according to estimates by some local political figures. Another hotly contested race is expected in 2024.

Burns and Billow are also currently suing each other, alleging defamation in election advertisements.

All of those factors — the parties gearing up for another all-out fight for the seat, the local political head-butting and the lawsuits — are magnified by the fact the state House is divided by a razor-thin margin, with 101 Democrats, 100 Republicans and two vacancies.

When asked for an interview to discuss how that close divide affects him in terms of policy and politics, Burns responded with a text that, in part, read: "My approach to this legislative session will be the same as it always has been — listen to the people and work hard to make a difference in our region."

He continued: "My goal has been the same since day one — make my parents and the people I represent proud. The people have elected me to an 8th term to represent them and protect their interests, so I'm going to continue to do exactly that."

'An important area'

The 72nd District primaries will be underway just one year from now, and the seat "will be a target again, there's no question," said Westmont resident Robert Gleason, the former chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, who recently rejoined the state GOP committee.

Candidates will run in a region that was once a Democratic stronghold, but that has switched to a Republican voter majority in recent years.

"Johnstown is an important area," Cambria County Democratic Party Chairwoman Nina Licastro said. "(Democrats) don't want to just concede an area because of politics changing."

Burns often promotes himself during campaigns as an independent-minded elected official, pointing to examples such as his votes against tax plans supported by former Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat.

"It's well documented in Harrisburg that I ignore party politics and vote for what's best for the people I represent and that I'm always willing to work with anyone — Republican, Democrat, Independent," Burns wrote. "It doesn't even matter if they're registered to vote — just as long as they are willing to get things done in an open and transparent way."

Licastro called Burns an "independent Democrat."

"You'll see Republicans voting for him," Licastro said. "You'll see liberal Democrats voting for him. You'll see independents voting for him. That's his appeal. What people don't understand is most people want someone who is moderate. Frank is one of the last true moderates out there."

Burns founded the Blue Lives Matter Caucus with the goal of supporting law enforcement. A section at frankburnsforpa.com labeled "Conservative Values" lists his endorsements by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and the National Rifle Association.

Gleason described Burns as "a pretty conservative Democrat."

"He might not like me saying that," Gleason said.

'They need his vote'

However, Cambria County Republican Party Chairwoman Jackie Kulback thinks that Burns will have difficulty during the current session since the Democrats control the House — and, in her opinion, they will promote an agenda that she says is more in line with Philadelphia-style liberal ideas than the beliefs of Cambria and Somerset counties' voters.

"If you look at where Frank Burns is at now, he's going to have a hard time explaining to people why he's voting for the radical liberals and siding with Philadelphia over Cambria County," Kulback said. "He's got no place to hide. They need his vote."

Kulback added: "I think that Frank's votes are going to be under a microscope. He'll have to answer for every one of those. He's backed himself into a corner where he has no choice but to vote the party line because they're the ones who are funding his campaigns, and if he doesn't vote their party line, they cut off their funding."

Would Republicans be interested in seeing if Burns would want to switch parties?

"Let's face it, for him to switch parties at this point in time, I think that ship sailed probably two cycles ago," Kulback said.

Burns did not respond when asked if the GOP ever pitched the idea of him joining that party.

'Constituent services'

Burns, one of the most senior Democrats in the House of Representatives, often touts constituent services and his ability to bring money back to the district as two of his strengths.

By his own accounting, Burns estimates that almost $300 million in state government funding has come into his district during his time in office. The Democratic Communications Office frequently sends out press releases highlighting dollars directed to organizations in the 72nd District — including municipalities, schools and first responders.

"Effective lawmakers have great constituent services," said G. Terry Madonna, senior fellow in residence for political affairs at Millersville University, speaking in generalities and not just specifically about Burns. "They reach out to their constituents in a variety of ways. They travel frequently throughout their districts. They meet with groups."

Gleason referred to constituent services as Burns' "real strength."

Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, apparently agrees.

"From supporting law enforcement and standing up for veterans, to securing resources for local schools and working to bring good paying jobs back to the district, Rep. Frank Burns has always fought to deliver real results," said Manuel Bonder, press secretary for Shapiro.

"Governor Shapiro knows Rep. Burns is a fighter for his community — and he looks forward to continuing to work together to put people over politics and get things done for Pennsylvania."

The Tribune-Democrat reached out to Shapiro's office and also to House Majority Leader Matthew Bradford, a Montgomery County Democrat, seeking comment on the turmoil in the 72nd and the district's importance to control of the House and statewide politics. The governor's office provided Bonder's comments, while Bradford did not respond.

Burns has had few major legislative accomplishments during his first seven terms. He cited his being in the minority party for most of the time as the reason. He serves on only one committee, Professional Licensure, which he started chairing earlier this year.

"I really haven't seen a lot that he's done," Kulback said.

Afghan refugee debate

During the 2022 campaign, Burns ran an advertisement that accused Billow of having "scammed" a federal program that was created to provide mortgage relief to homeowners affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The spot included a photoshopped prison mugshot-style image of Billow, who has never been arrested.

Billow filed a civil case for defamation against Burns, his re-election committee and the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee.

Burns recently filed a defamation countersuit against Billow, the Friends of Renae Billow and the Cambria County Republican Committee after her campaign accused him of lying in his advertisements.

Also, beginning last year and carrying over into 2023, Burns has feuded with Vision Together 2025, a nonprofit group involved in volunteer efforts and politics that has several prominent board members, including JWF Industries President and CEO William Polacek and Johnstown Redevelopment Authority Chairman Mark Pasquerilla.

Vision was looking to develop a plan to relocate Afghanistan War refugees to the area to help fill vacant professional positions.

Mike Tedesco, then the organization's president and CEO, wrote an op-ed in The Tribune- Democrat that stated, "Vision Together 2025 and Cambria County have no plans to attract refugees to the region." Soon thereafter, documents were made public that provided in-depth details about the group's goal to bring in "up to 100 ... Afghani families." The plan never came to fruition.

Burns harshly criticized The Tribune-Democrat and Vision, calling for more transparency within the nonprofit.

Before the 2022 election, The Tribune-Democrat was critical of Burns and endorsed Billow, accusing Burns of running an "ugly reelection campaign based on falsehoods, character attacks and constant fighting with individuals and groups who are working to move the Johnstown region in a positive direction — those with whom he would need to collaborate as a state lawmaker."

In February 2023, Robert Forcey left his position as the newspaper's publisher to become executive director of Vision after previously serving on its board. Burns did not respond to a follow-up question asking about the issues with Vision, although he sent out a press release at the time Forcey took the job.

He did generally address the subject of keeping citizens aware of important matters in his original text, writing, "The public is keenly attuned to my stance for openness, transparency and accountability and the voters reacted accordingly."

Almost all Vision board members who were serving as elected officials or on governmental agencies, including Johnstown Mayor Frank Janakovic and Johnstown City Manager Ethan Imhoff, recently resigned from their voting positions with the organization, although Pasquerilla remained.

Burns had previously called for elected officials and government employees to step down from Vision's board because of possible conflicts of interest.

Burns recently issued a statement urging individuals running this year for county, municipal or school positions to not accept donations from individuals affiliated with Vision Together 2025.

Forcey wants Vision to get away from politics and re- emphasize the community development aspect of its mission. He said all elected officials, including Burns, are welcome to participate.

"At the end of the day, what we want to do is what's best for Johnstown," Forcey said. "We would want, obviously, all of the local politicians to be part of that process. If they feel like what we're doing is supporting the community, then we would hope that they would want to join us in the things that we do."