Scott R. Thomas, the 23-year-old Republican who announced his candidacy for mayor of Pottsville in January, introduced two Republican candidates for city council Tuesday afternoon on the steps of City Hall.
They are Kerry L. Ansbach, 62, who ran unsuccessfully for a council seat in November 2011, and newcomer Tina K. Zanis, 46.
"I'm looking forward to working with this team to bring change to city hall. Through the course of this campaign, we will show that we are the team that is best ready to move Pottsville forward," Thomas said.
Thomas said he and his "team" are planning to do some research in the next few months to determine what moving "forward" will mean.
"We want to talk to the citizens of Pottsville. We want to talk to the stakeholders of Pottsville and get their ideas. We want to get their ideas and implement them into our plan," Thomas said.
Thomas, Ansbach and Zanis said they intend to visit neighborhoods to gather some insights from citizens.
"We'll knock on doors. It's the old-fashioned way. We introduce ourselves, tell them about us, tell them what we do and they'll give us the ideas. Everybody has an idea. And all those ideas together is a recipe for success," Thomas said.
Thomas's campaign slogan is "New ideas for a better Pottsville," according to his campaign website at thomasforpottsville.com.
In January, Mayor John D.W. Reiley, 77, a Democrat, said he won't be running for re-election. Meanwhile, the terms for Democratic council members Mark Atkinson and Lori Spotts end in December.
This week, other candidates are expected to step up to announce their candidacy for city offices.
Philip McClintock, 45, of Pottsville, a Republican, will be holding a press conference at 4:30 p.m. today at Garfield Square to reveal which office he will seek.
The Pottsville City Democratic Party will introduce its slate of candidates at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Humane Fire Company No. 1.
Born in Pottsville, Jan. 25, 1990, Thomas is the son of Bob and Georgia Thomas.
Aside from his duties as a member of the Pottsville Area School Board, he's a full-time student who lives at home with his parents. He's planning to graduate from Kutztown University in May with a bachelor's degree in public administration.
The salary of the Mayor of Pottsville is $5,200 per year, according to the city's 2013 budget.
Since that's the case, Thomas said he said he'll have to start looking for jobs in his field once he graduates.
Born in Pottsville, March 25, 1950, Ansbach is the full-time facilities and transportation director for Pottsville Area School District.
Ansbach said he decided to run for a council seat again because the 2011 race was a close one.
He received 1,517 in the 2011 General Election, while incumbent Democrat Michael P. Halcovage received 1,535 votes and incumbent Democrat James T. Muldowney received 1,807 votes, according to the website for the Schuylkill County Election Bureau.
"I care about the City of Pottsville and I think it's time for a change. We need to look at it differently. The streets are a terrible mess, only to get worse. By their own admission, council has cut the street department to the bone. So they're only going to get worse. They hit the police department. I know the only thing that's going to solve Pottsville is money, to be honest. But it's how you use your money. And they're not very transparent," Ansbach said of council.
Zanis is the widow of the late Dr. David A. Zanis, a local educator, businessman and social worker who died in April 2011. In 2001, she and her husband started Clinical Outcomes Group Inc., a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health of the community. In 2004, the couple turned the organization from a sole proprietorship to a nonprofit organization. Today, Tina Zanis is president of Clinical Outcomes Group Inc.
Born Tina Holmstrom in Fallston, Md., Aug. 16, 1966, she married David Zanis in 1993 and the couple moved to Pottsville in 1997.
"I love this city. I've been here for almost 16 years now and it is a place where it's wonderful to raise a family. We've had opportunities to live in other places and made the conscious choice to say 'no,' this is the best place," Zanis said.
Zanis hasn't run for public office before. She said: "I've thought about taking a more active role in the city for a number of years on and off, but the timing was never quite right. But the timing is good now. Some folks inquired if I had an interest in it and I said 'it is something that I thought about.' So one thing led to another and here we are."
INFO BOX
Scott R. Thomas
Running for: Mayor, City of Pottsville
Political party: Republican
Age: 23 Education: 2008 graduate of Pottsville Area High School.
Occupation: Student, public administration senior at Kutztown University; member, Pottsville Area school board.
Family: Parents, Bob and Georgia.
Kerry L. Ansbach
Running for: Council, City of Pottsville
Political party: Republican
Age: 62
Education: Henderson High School, Henderson, Ky., graduate 1968; Vietnam Veteran who served in the Army, medically discharged in 1971; and he studied conservation, environmental science and construction management through the Stratford Career Institute in recent years.
Occupation: On May 9, he will celebrate 30 years of working full-time as facilities and transportation director for Pottsville Area School District.
Family: Wife, Barbara; and a son, Keith.
Tina K. Zanis
Running for: Council, City of Pottsville
Political party: Republican
Age: 46
Education: Fallston High School, Fallston, Md., 1984 graduate; bachelor's degrees in computer information systems and business management, York College, 1988; master's degree in management and health care administration, Penn State University, 1995.
Occupation: Part-time substitute teacher at Pottsville Area School District; President of Clinical Outcomes Group Inc., Pottsville
Family: Three children, Adalie, 16, a junior at Pottsville Area High School; Lorne, 13, a seventh-grade student at Assumption BVM Catholic School, Pottsville; and Ella, 11, a fifth grade student at Assumption BVM Catholic School, Pottsville.