Two Democrats are in the race for Monessen mayor
From left, Lou Mavrakis and Matt Shorraw
Lou Mavrakis
Two Democrats are in the race for Monessen mayor
Matt Shorraw
MONESSEN – The two candidates in the race for the mayor’s office in Monessen are both Democrats and share a passion for their hometown.
Other than that, Mayor Lou Mavrakis, who’s nearing the end of his first term in office, and his opponent in Tuesday’s election, Matt Shorraw, are polar opposites in age and agendas.
Mavrakis is 79, and he refers to Shorraw, 26, as a “kid” who lacks experience in government.
“He’s misled, young and inexperienced,” said Mavrakis, accusing Shorraw of being guided by the former city administration and former state lawmaker Ted Harhai.
Shorraw said he’s friends with Harhai and former mayor Mary Jo Smith, but he is running his race and paying for 90 percent of his campaign.
“Basically, I want to focus on economic development, connecting the youth to the community and addressing the opioid problem,” Shorraw said.
Mavrakis said he’s taking some hits from the Democratic Party over accusations he is a supporter of Republican President Donald Trump because the presidential candidate appeared in Monessen in June at Mavrakis’ invitation.
“I am not a Trump supporter,” Mavrakis said. He has said he also invited Hillary Clinton to Monessen and she did not come, and that Trump appeared at a Monessen business whose owner arranged the campaign stop.
Still, Shorraw said, the association with Trump could hurt Mavrakis’ campaign because most voters in Monessen are Democrats.
“Trump did not win Monessen,” Shorraw said.
Mavrakis wants to rid the city of blight, including the vacant former Monessen Savings & Trust building at 500 Donner Ave., a landmark Shorraw wants to save and restore.
Mavrakis said he wants to demolish several buildings in that block of Donner Avenue and encourage a developer to take on the redevelopment project.
“I brought someone in who’s going to do something,” he said of Pittsburgh developer David Lamb, who purchased the trust building last month with plans to have it razed in two months.
“Obviously, there are things that need to come down,” Shorraw said. “I don’t think that knocking things down is the answer.”