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Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by <a href="https://lipperalpha.refinitiv.com/" data-omtr-intcmp="topnav_more_refinitive_info">Refinitiv Lipper</a>. <br>Residents of President Biden's hometown, including Democratic Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti, sound off to Fox News Digital about the election and top issues from his term.<br>Several Pennsylvania officials, particularly in the Scranton area where <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrat-state-officials-largely-back-biden-after-debate-party-chair-suggests-gop-pulls-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Joe Biden hails from</a>, are calling on the city to undo its 2021 renaming of a freeway spur in his honor.<br>State Rep. Jamie Walsh, R-Dallas, appeared to lead the charge with a scathing statement highlighting Biden’s recent pardon of a judge convicted in a "kids-for-cash" scandal wherein he received kickbacks for sentencing juveniles to for-profit prisons.<br>Wilkes-Barre Common Pleas Judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella Jr. were convicted in 2008. The former served time in prison, followed by COVID-induced house arrest until Biden’s pardon. <br>Walsh said some of the children affected had been convicted of minor offenses like jaywalking. The Democratic-majority Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out 4,000 juvenile convictions as a result of the scandal. <br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-issues-divide-bidens-hometown-scranton-looks-back-native-sons-first-term" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ECONOMY BORDER & ABORTION DIVIDE BIDEN'S HOMETOWN AS RESIDENTS LOOK BACK ON NATIVE SON'S FIRST TERM</strong></a><br><span>The former Central Scranton Expressway -- now the President Biden Expressway -- diverges from I-81, which continues toward Binghamton, N.Y.</span> <span>(Charles Creitz)</span><br>"In light of the recent decision made by the Biden administration to commute former Judge Conahan’s sentence, I implore city officials and Mayor [Paige Gebhardt Cognetti] to remove President Joe Biden’s name from the expressway sign that leads to the heart of the ‘Electric City’s’ downtown area."<br>In 2021, the mayor and city council unanimously approved the rebranding of the three-quarter-mile Central Scranton Expressway spur off Interstate 81 and its continuance via then-Spruce Street through downtown as the "President Biden Expressway" and "Biden Avenue," respectively.<br>The President Biden Expressway initially serves as a short bypass of PA-307 into the city, and continues as "Biden Ave" toward northbound US-11, which, in-turn, meets the terminus of the colloquial "Route 9" -- the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Northeast Extension.<br>"The children affected by Conahan’s actions of nearly 15 years ago are now adults suffering in their own ‘mental’ prisons due to his deeds of self-fulfillment," Walsh said in a statement.<br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/wv-democrats-rip-bidens-egregious-public-corruption-pardons-what-wed-expect-from-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>WV DEMOCRATS RIP BIDEN'S ‘EGREGIOUS’ PUBLIC CORRUPTION PARDON CHOICES: ‘WHAT WE’D EXPECT FROM TRUMP'</strong></a><br><span>Ex-Luzerne County Judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella.</span> <span>(AP Photo/The Citizens' Voice, Mark Moran)</span><br>"Crimes against children are everlasting, and there is no escape from the irreparable damage these predators caused by their actions."<br>Walsh argued that the issue is non-partisan but "right versus wrong" and that Biden no longer deserves the commemoration because his pardon "exonerates [Conahan’s] behavior" as a signal to future corrupt public officials.<br>State Rep-elect. Brenda Pugh, R-Luzerne, <a href="https://www.pahomepage.com/news/pa-state-rep-calls-for-name-change-of-biden-expressway-in-scranton/">told WBRE</a> that Conahan’s conduct is a "blight on Pennsylvania" and that Biden’s pardon is "nothing short of a travesty."<br>"[H]is clemency is a miscarriage of justice," Pugh said, adding the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-gains-voter-advantage-pa-swing-county-near-biden-birthplace" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Biden Expressway</a> will therefore "forever be a scar reminding people of what happened here [in NEPA]."<br>Meanwhile, Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak made his case directly to Cognetti, writing the mayor a letter saying that reverting "Biden Avenue to Spruce Street" would help restore confidence in city leadership and reaffirm a commitment to governing in the best reflection of city values.<br>"This [pardon] has brought significant negative attention to Scranton, tarnishing the city's reputation and reflecting poorly on Lackawanna County as a whole," Chermak wrote.<br>In a Friday interview, Cognetti said that Biden’s commutation of Conahan was a "grave error" that freshly opened "deep and horrific" wounds for Scrantonians and NEPA residents.<br><a href="https://foxnews.com/download" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP</strong></a><br><span>Biden and Scranton Democratic Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti</span> <span>(Reuters)</span><br>She echoed Gov. Josh Shapiro’s remark earlier this week that Conahan’s sentence was too light in the first place.<br>"[The case] was just the stuff that you think a screenwriter couldn't make up -- how systemic and how deep that scandal went," Cognetti said.<br>She said she had contacted the White House with her concerns and that she was sad to learn Conahan’s commutation is irreversible.<br>Cognetti noted she is currently mayor in part because of other officials’ public corruption as well.<br>Predecessor Bill Courtright resigned in July 2019 amid a conviction for bribery, corruption and conspiracy. Courtright’s departure led to two brief interim mayors before Cognetti was elected that November as an independent and, in 2021, as a Democrat. <br>Cognetti added that the calls to strip Biden’s name from roadways are not new and continue to be mostly grounded in partisanship.<br>"The president is from here, and there are few communities that can boast of being the hometown of a President of the United States. We will continue to celebrate and be very proud of having a hometown son of Scranton as president."<br>"The two issues are conflated, I think, for political reasons. And I'd like us to treat these things as what they are. We need to continue to address corruption in government," Cognetti added.<br>"That’s separate from the president's legacy of 50 years in office and being the most successful son of Scranton."<br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/bidens-hometown-reveals-how-really-feels-bidenomics" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>BIDEN'S HOMETOWN EXPRESSES HOW IT REALLY FEELS ABOUT ‘BIDENOMICS’</strong></a><br><span>Biden Street; formerly Spruce Street</span> <span>(Getty)</span><br>When recently asked about Biden granting Conahan a pardon, Shapiro said that presidents have the "unique and absolute" power to do so, but should wield it "incredibly carefully."<br>"I study every single case that comes across my desk where there's a request for a pardon or clemency or worse, or a reduction in sentence. And I take it very seriously," said Shapiro, who previously served as attorney general.<br>"I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania. This was not only a black eye on the community because of the scandal, but it also affected families in really deep and profound and sad ways," he said.<br>Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. <br>He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant. <br>Charles covers <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media" target="_blank">media</a>, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics" target="_blank">politics</a> and culture for Fox News Digital.<br>Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.<br>Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.<br>By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a> and <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/terms-of-use">Terms of Use</a>, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.<br>Subscribed<br> You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! <br> This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by <a href="https://www.factset.com/" data-omtr-intcmp="footer_factset">Factset</a>. 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