BY MIKE FAHER
A local politician is seriously considering a campaign for the late John Murtha’s congressional seat, while another has taken his name out of the running.
State Sen. John Wozniak, a Johnstown Democrat who had been mentioned as a possible replacement for Murtha, on Wednesday announced that he would not run for Congress.
But Cambria County Controller Ed Cernic Jr. said he is interested in possibly representing the 12th Congressional District and expects to announce his intentions Monday.
“I’m looking at the possibility of a run,” Cernic said. “I’m doing my due diligence right now.”
Cernic is serving his second term as county controller and has a long history of political experience locally, including almost six years as a Greater Johnstown school board member and 18 years as a West Taylor supervisor.
He serves on CamTran’s board and also has served as a Democratic committee member and district chairman. His father, Ed Cernic Sr. of West Taylor, is a prominent Democrat with close ties to Gov. Ed Rendell.
Wozniak also has a lengthy political resume: He was first elected to the state House in 1980 and served until 1996, when he won a state Senate seat.
But the senator said that, while he was “flattered” by rumors of a possible congressional candidacy, he has decided to not campaign either for inclusion in a special election or for the primary nomination in the 12th district.
“This is simply not the right time to go to Washington and start over as we battle for precious resources that will help us create jobs and economic opportunity,” Wozniak said in a statement released Wednesday evening.
He added that Murtha was so effective in part due to his seniority in Washington. If elected to Congress, Wozniak said, the Johnstown region would lose his 30 years of seniority in Harrisburg.
“With three very senior members of the state Senate Democratic Caucus retiring at year’s end, I will be in an even better position to fight for jobs and more help for our region,” Wozniak said. “We all need to pull together and fill the leadership vacuum that’s been created as result of Jack’s death.”
Should Cernic decide to enter the congressional race, he’ll be jumping into what may become a crowded arena. Following Murtha’s Feb. 8 death, there have been several names floated as possible contenders for the seat the congressman had held for 36 years:
• Indiana resident Barbara Hafer, former Democratic state treasurer and auditor general, on Monday said she will enter the race.
• The name that has generated the most headlines was Joyce Murtha, the congressman’s widow. But she has not spoken publicly regarding a political campaign.
• Mark Singel, a Democrat and Johnstown native who has served as a state senator and lieutenant governor, said Friday that he is interested in running for the seat but has not yet made a formal announcement.
• Westmoreland County Commissioner Tom Ceraso, also a Democrat, reportedly is considering a campaign.
Also, there are four candidates who had announced intentions to run in the 12th Congressional District before Murtha’s death.
The two Republicans are William Russell of Johnstown, who lost to Murtha in 2008, and Tim Burns of Washington County.
The two Democrats are Ron Mackell Jr., a former Johnstown resident, and Ryan Bucchianeri of Monongahela.
