Wikipedia

Paige Cognetti

Paige Gebhardt Cognetti (born August 27, 1980)[1] is an American politician serving since 2020 as mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania. She is the first woman to be mayor of the city and won her seat in a special election.[2][3] A member of the Democratic Party, she ran her first Scranton mayoral campaign as an Independent. She is the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district in 2026.[4]

Paige Cognetti
Cognetti in 2022
36th Mayor of Scranton
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 6, 2020
Preceded byWayne Evans (acting)
Personal details
Born (1980-08-27) August 27, 1980 (age 45)
Eugene, Oregon, U.S.
PartyDemocratic (before 2019, 2021–present)
Independent (2019–2021)
SpouseRyan Cognetti
Children2
EducationUniversity of Oregon (BA)
Harvard University (MBA)

Early life and career

edit

Cognetti was born in Eugene, Oregon. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and Romance languages, and earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.[citation needed]

After graduating, she worked as an English teacher in Japan through the JET Programme.[5] She was a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaigns and served as an advisor at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in Obama's first term.[6][7]

Cognetti was appointed to the Scranton School Board in 2017,[8] but resigned in December 2018 to become a special assistant to Pennsylvania's state auditor, Eugene DePasquale.[9] While serving on the board, she criticized no-bid school bus contracts and unapproved payments to contractors.[10]

Mayor of Scranton

edit

Elections

edit

Cognetti ran in the 2019 special election to finish the term of Scranton mayor Bill Courtright, who had pleaded guilty to corruption charges earlier that year.[11] She ran as an independent after she deemed the local Democratic Party's closed caucus system undemocratic. Her campaign emphasized investments in local businesses, education, and infrastructure.[12] She won the special election with 36% of the vote.[3]

In 2021, Cognetti ran as a Democrat for a full term and defeated her Republican opponent, 72.5% to 23.4%.[13][14]

Tenure

edit

During Cognetti's tenure as mayor, Scranton completed its exit from Pennsylvania's Act 47 financial distress program and improved its bond rating, allowing the city to reduce reliance on short-term borrowing.[15] Her administration undertook infrastructure and public works projects, including investments in stormwater systems and parks, demolition of hazardous structures, and upgrades to municipal signage.[15]

The city's housing stock expanded, while the administration implemented initiatives to modernize municipal operations and improve service efficiency.[16] Downtown redevelopment also continued during this period, accompanied by increased construction activity across the city.[16]

In 2024, President Joe Biden appointed Cognetti to the United States Trade Representative's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.[17]

2026 U.S. House campaign

edit

On September 2, 2025, Cognetti announced her candidacy for Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district in 2026, aiming to unseat Republican incumbent Representative Rob Bresnahan.[18][19]

Personal life

edit

She is married to Ryan Cognetti and has two children.[13][20]

Electoral history

edit
2019 Scranton mayoral special election[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Paige Cognetti 5,849 36.52%
Independent Kyle Donahue 3,588 22.40%
Democratic Chris Cullen 2,567 16.03%
Republican Charlie Spano 2,468 15.41%
Independent Giovanni Piccolino 699 4.36%
Independent Gary St. Fleur 384 2.40%
Independent John Goshleski 76 0.47%
Write-in 387 2.42%
Total votes 16,018 100.00%
2021 Scranton mayoral Democratic primary election[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Paige Cognetti (incumbent) 7,870 71.36%
Democratic John Murray 3,119 28.28%
Write-in 39 0.35%
Total votes 11,028 100.00%
2021 Scranton mayoral election[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Paige Cognetti (incumbent) 9,851 72.51%
Republican Darwin Lee Shaw II 3,175 23.37%
Write-in 79 0.58%
Total votes 13,585 100.00%
2025 Scranton mayoral Democratic primary election[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Paige Cognetti (incumbent) 6,271 75.52
Democratic Bob Sheridan 1,865 22.46
Write-in 168 2.02
Total votes 8,304 100.00

References

edit
  1. ↑ "Cognetti becomes Scranton's first female mayor". November 6, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Scranton became shorthand for the past. Its reality is far more complicated". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Cole, Devan (November 6, 2019). "First woman elected mayor of Scranton, as an independent after sparring with Democratic machine". CNN. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Cognetti campaign opens office in Scranton". Scranton Times-Tribune. June 15, 2026. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  5. ↑ Cognetti, Paige. "Cognetti's LinkedIn profile". LinkedIn. Microsoft. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Mayor of Scranton to Deliver Johnson College's 2020 Commencement Address". Johnson College of Technology. March 11, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Now the mayor of Scranton, PA, Paige Gebhardt Cognetti's passion for equity inspired by her time in CHC". Clark Honors College. June 9, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  8. ↑ Buynovsky, Sarah (November 5, 2019). "Paige Cognetti Named First Female Mayor of Scranton". WNEP-TV. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Cognetti Resigns From Scranton School Board To Work For State Auditor General". AP NEWS. December 12, 2018. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Scranton School Board To Ask District Attorney To Investigate Mechanic Insurance". AP NEWS. May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  11. ↑ Lange, Stacy (January 6, 2020). "Paige Cognetti Sworn In as Scranton's First Female Mayor". WNEP-TV. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Scranton Mayor-Elect Paige Cognetti offers an object lesson for Philly politics". The Philadelphia Citizen. November 15, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  13. 1 2 Lange, Stacy (November 3, 2021). "Mayor Paige Cognetti has declared victory in Scranton". WNEP-TV. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  14. ↑ "2021GeneralSummary_Certified.pdf" (PDF). Lackawanna County, PA. December 3, 2021. p. 22. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  15. 1 2 "'Unlock the future': Cognetti touts achievements in optimistic state of the city address". Scranton Times-Tribune. March 25, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Culkin, Jack (April 22, 2026). "Mayor Cognetti highlights Scranton's revival, goals in State of the City address". ABC WNEP (Channel 16). Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  17. ↑ "President Biden appoints Scranton Mayor Cognetti as a member of the Advisory Committee". WNEP-TV. February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  18. ↑ Svirnovskiy, Gregory (September 2, 2025). "Scranton mayor launches House campaign, goes after Rob Bresnahan's stock trades". Politico. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  19. ↑ Terruso, Julia (September 2, 2025). "Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti launches run for Congress, blasting Rep. Rob Bresnahan's stock trading". Inquirer.com. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  20. ↑ "About the Mayor". ScrantonPa.gov. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  21. ↑ "EL45.pdf" (PDF). Lackawanna County, PA. March 9, 2022. p. 8. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Summary Results Report MUNICIPAL ELECTION May 18, 2021 CERTIFIED RESULTS Lackawanna County" (PDF). Lackawanna County, PA. June 3, 2021. p. 30. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  23. ↑ "2021GeneralSummary_Certified.pdf" (PDF). Lackawanna County, PA. December 3, 2021. p. 22. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Summary Results Report PRIMARY ELECTION May 20, 2025" (PDF). Lackawanna County, PA. June 6, 2025. p. 19. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paige_Cognetti&oldid=1361366336"