Democrat Maryann Velez and Republican John Lombardo announced they are running for Luzerne County Council.
Five seats on the 11-member council, which serves as the legislative branch of county government, will be on the ballot this year. Council members serve four-year terms and are paid $8,000 per year.
Lombardo, 27, lives in Pittston. He works as an emergency medical technician and full-time firefighter in the Pittston Fire Bureau.
He graduated from Penn State University with a bachelorâs degree in political science and media relations in 2015.
In a statement announcing his campaign, Lombardo said he has been heavily involved in local politics since he was 15. He said he has interned with legislators and worked for numerous campaigns.
Former Luzerne County Councilwoman Jane Walsh Waitkus announced Sunday she will run for a council seat this year.
Watikus, a 72-year-old Democrat who lives in Dorrance Twp., was elected to council in 2015. She ran unsuccessfully for reelection in 2019.
Waitkus served as vice chairwoman of council the last few months of her tenure, following the resignation of former councilman Eugene Kelleher.
On Sunday, Waitkus said her experience on the 11-member council that serves as the legislative branch of county government will help her hit the ground running, if she is elected to one of five seats on the ballot this year.