I have a nephew named Todd, who grew up in Lewisburg and had been living in San Francisco for nearly a decade. He recently moved back East and spent the weekend with my wife and me. I asked Todd if San Francisco was as lawless as we have been told. He told me that in the past few years while traveling on public transportation, he personally had nineteen death threats. Todd stood calmly before his assailants and told each one that he was a martial arts instructor and that if they tried to do anything, they would sincerely regret it. In each case, the big and bad dudes suddenly realized they had somewhere else to go.
I questioned why crime was so high there, and Todd said it was simple — criminals knew they would not be convicted. Sadly, throughout the United States, a growing crime wave is fueled by the lack of jurisprudence. Whether a person commits crimes because of their upbringing, heritage, genes, or whatever, a crime should be treated with justice, not sympathy.
This brings us to our Lycoming County District Attorney’s office. The present DA, Ryan Gardner, is stepping down to run for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. Gardner has received praise from almost every quarter and has done an excellent job in the DA’s office. Barring an act of God, Gardner will be replaced by Tom Marino, who has both Republican and Democratic endorsements and, thus, is the only name on the ballot for Lycoming County District Attorney.
It would be hard to imagine a more qualified person for this position. Tom Marino is returning to the position he held through the 1990s. As the Lycoming County District Attorney in that decade, he gained a reputation as a ‘tough-on-crime’ DA. I had a long conversation with one of the members of his task force during that time, and he stated that the team had great respect for Marino because he worked very hard and was a straight arrow. Marino was one who knew the law and knew how to apply it. It appeared that those who worked closely with Tom Marino respected his work ethic and commitment to justice.
Marino’s integrity was recognized by others higher up on the food chain, and it resulted in being selected as a United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, which he held until 2007. In 2010, he unseated the incumbent Democrat Chris Carney for the US House of Representatives for the PA 10th congressional district. He would be reelected four more times to this position.
Tom’s claim to fame as a congressman came quite unexpectedly on August 1, 2014. He was addressing the House of Representatives and made the comment concerning the lack of security on the southern border, “We don’t have law and order,” he stated to the gallery in the House and those watching by c-span. “My colleagues on the other side don’t want to do anything about it.”
After concluding his remarks and receiving applause from his fellow Republicans, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in an amazing disregard for protocol, walked across the House floor to personally shake her finger in Tom’s face. Hitting a nerve in Nancy’s persona made Tom Marino a political rock star for a while.
Tom Marino has overcome some tough going in his life, but he never gives up, and now he wants to be tough on crime. In my interview with him, he was adamant that the people of Lycoming County should know that he is going to prosecute those who break the law. There are DAs all over the country who believe they have to be social workers, but that will not be the case here. Those who are charged with criminal offenses will be duly judged as the law prescribes. Period.
I have heard Tom tell me personally and at various events his purpose in running again for an office that he held so long ago. To him, it is simple, “Of all my roles in public service, the job of district attorney was by far my favorite because it had so much meaningful impact on the community.”
The man is ready for action — criminals beware.
