Ryan Gardner and his wife Erica embrace after they look at election results that have Ryan winning his race for District Attorney during election night at a Republican celebration at Impact Advertising in Linden Tuesday night Nov. 7, 2023.
DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
District Attorney Ryan Gardner and Judge William Carlucci sailed to easy victories in their respective judicial races Tuesday night.
Gardner and Carlucci defeated Democratic challenger Andrea Pulizzi, to replace retired former judges Marc Lovecchio and Joy McCoy.
“I’m cautiously optimistic. But I’m really focused on doing the job I’ve been doing since August of last year,” Carlucci, who netted 33% of the vote, said at a candidate event at Impact Advertising as results began trickling in. “I consider it an honor to serve the citizens of Lycoming County.”
“I was a lawyer for 43 years, and that gave me a great deal of experience in what it is like to present a case to a judge. Now I’m on the other side and I’m using that experience to try to help the lawyers and the parties get to a just result,” Carlucci said.
Current District Attorney Gardner, who held almost 50% of the three-way split, was equally cautious, but expressed optimism.
Rep. Joe Hamm looks over election results during election night at a Republican celebration at Impact Advertising in Linden Tuesday night Nov. 7, 2023.
DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
“I never want to put the cart before the horse, I know there’s a number of precincts that are still outstanding, so until they’re fully tallied we remain hopeful,” he said. “I still have some work to do in the D.A.’s office and I have a busy couple months ahead of me.”
“I look forward to the challenges that the position brings, just like I did when I took the office of D.A.,” he said. “I know the hard work ahead of me.”
Former District Attorney, U.S. Attorney and U.S. representative Tom Marino cruised to his fourth term as District Attorney in an uncontested race.
“I’m looking forward to returning,” Marino said. “I’m just going to stick to the philosophy that I exercised before, that my job as D.A. is to seek justice and put the bad guys away.”
Marino acknowledges having a hefty agenda with an eye on some of the biggest public safety concerns in the area.
Judge Bill Carlucci talks about his campaign during election night at a Republican celebration at Impact Advertising in Linden Tuesday night Nov. 7, 2023.
DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
“My focus will be taking guns off the street, and continuing what Ryan’s been doing by going after the fentanyl dealers,” Marino said. “If they give fentanyl to someone and that person dies, we’ll backtrack it and we’ll charge that person with homicide.”
“A big deal for me was going after child molesters and sex trafficking,” Marino said. “Our plates are going to be full, but we have a job, and my plan is to continue to clean the streets up and improve the quality of life for people in Lycoming County.”
For Marino, the return to area politics comes down to appreciation for the community from which he got his start.
“People say ‘why are you doing this,’ well this is my way of giving back,” Marino said. “Unbeknownst to me at the time, Lycoming County launched my career when they elected me the D.A. the first time. Then I was on to U.S. Attorney, then I was on to congress, and now I want to make a full circle back and say, ‘thank you.’”
Marino, who like Carlucci appeared on both the Democratic and Republican ballot, boils the bipartisan support down to the business of the job, itself.
Election results are refreshed on a computer every few seconds during election night at a Republican celebration at Impact Advertising in Linden Tuesday night Nov. 7, 2023.
DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
“My door has always been open and over the years, I’ve spoken to Democrats, Republicans, Independents and mixed groups,” Marino said. “I work for the people of Lycoming County. The moment I step into that office, I’m not involved in politics anymore.”
Matt Gartner, Vice Chair of the Lycoming County Republican Party, (seated) looks over results as they come in via the internet during Election Night at a Republican celebration at Impact Advertising in Linden Tuesday night Nov. 7, 2023.
DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Lycoming County Coroner Charles Kiessling watches the election results as they come in during Election Night at a Republican celebration at Impact Advertising in Linden Tuesday night Nov. 7, 2023.
DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
