McKean County Republican Chairman C. Russell Johnson is retiring
as a field representative for state Sen. Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway,
effective the close of business today.
The change was announced Tuesday by Scarnati’s Chief of Staff
Todd Nyquist from the senator’s Harrisburg office.
Nyquist said Johnson’s retirement has nothing to do with his
position as county chairman, which he will retain.
“Russ has been considering retiring for quite some time,”
Nyquist told The Era by phone. “The senator has accepted his
retirement and looks forward to working with him in other
capacities.”
When asked if there were any other reason for the retirement
announcement, Nyquist said “the position of the office has nothing
to do with the chairmanship of the McKean County GOP. The senator
appreciated his (Johnson) time of service and his experience will
be greatly missed.”
Nyquist said Johnson – who served as the field representative
for Scarnati in parts of McKean, Potter and Tioga counties – has
worked for the senator since he took office following former state
Sen. Bill Slocum’s departure.
All told, Johnson held the position for nearly nine years under
both Scarnati, the deputy majority whip, and Slocum.
Johnson confirmed his retirement with The Era later Tuesday
night.
“(I’ve) decided to retire and take a little rest … it will be
relaxing,” the 74-year-old said, adding driving 150 miles a day to
Tioga County was a major factor.
“The winter is really bad when you have to go up and down
hills,” Johnson said. “You’re on pins and needles when
driving.”
While the drive may be long, Johnson said he enjoyed working
with the people there.
“It was a nice group of people,” Johnson said. “I enjoyed
meeting with them. They treated me so nicely.”
Nyquist said the position calls for the field representative to
work three days a week in Tioga County, but there is also some work
in both McKean and Potter counties. The job will involve
constituent caseload and essentially entail representing the
senator at meetings he can’t attend.
The chief of staff said Scarnati’s 25th Senatorial District is
the largest one east of the Mississippi.
“There’s more mileage to cover than any senatorial district,”
Johnson said. “It was nice and I enjoyed working with that
senatorial district.”
Until a permanent replacement is found, Nyquist said the three
counties will continue to be represented with other staffers from
the senator’s office when he is either unavailable or in
Harrisburg. He added there is no time frame for finding a
replacement.
“We’ll fill the position when we find the appropriate
individual,” Nyquist said.
The action comes as the local GOP seemingly tries to find a
common voice on the candidacy of former Steeler and Republican
gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann.
Johnson appears to be alone in not backing Swann for governor,
while many other party leaders, including Scarnati and state Rep.
Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, have announced their support for
Swann, who is running against incumbent Gov. Ed Rendell.
Both Causer and Nyquist will be aiding the Swann campaign on the
local level, with Causer serving as McKean County coordinator and
Nyquist as the regional coordinator, covering McKean, Warren,
Potter, Cameron, Elk, Jefferson, Clearfield and Tioga counties.
The duo hope to bring Swann to McKean County in the future, but
there has been no time frame set on when that will occur.
