By Tricia Pursell
Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk’s supporters are urging him to run for Congress next year.
Derk, a 27-year-old Republican, said he plans to decide in December. If he does run, he would be up against U.S. Rep. Christopher Carney, D-10 of Dimock, who is in his second term.
Carney’s votes in support of an $800 billion stimulus package and a $900 billion health care plan were not fiscally conservative, Derk said.
The door may be open for Derk to run because “Republicans this year have been unable to recruit a viable challenger against Carney,” noted www.pa2010.com, a political Web site that broke the news of Derk’s potential bid for Congress,
Fundraising might have a lot to do with that. Carney already has more than $400,000 for his campaign. In last year’s election, Carney raised $2.1 million, and his competitor, Republican Chris Hackett, spent more than $1.58 million.
“I want to make sure I’m making the decision that will be best for the district,” Derk said. “At this point, I haven’t made any decisions. I’m focused on the county budget at this point, and making sure we have a budget that I’m pleased with.
“There are a lot of factors in making this decision, and I still want to hear from my friends and colleagues in Snyder County that I trust.”
On Monday, the “Derk 2010 for Congress” Facebook page, created by Susquehanna University College Republican President Eric Sweeney, a junior, gathered more than 150 members in less than a week.
“I just think he’s an excellent candidate,” Sweeney said. “My thinking was, if Commissioner Derk sees there are enough people interested in or would support his candidacy, he would be more inclined to decide to throw his hat in the ring.”
On Friday, Matthew Rousu, an assistant professor of economics at Derk’s alma mater, Susquehanna University, completed a Web site, www.draftderk.com, which he hopes will garner enough support to change Derk’s statement from “I’m considering,” to “I’m going to run.”
It was a decision Derk and fellow Commissioner Joe Kantz made last year concerning a bailout proposal from Boscov’s department store that Rousu said gave him a new level of respect for the commissioner. Snyder County voted against a loan guarantee for the bankrupt retail chain.
“He took a lot of heat for sticking to his guns,” Rousu said. “He’s a politician that has a tremendous amount of character and will try to do the right thing, even if it hurts.”
Since he has been in office, Derk has helped balance a $15 million budget without tax increases and said no to government bailouts, Rousu said.
Elizabeth Rhoads, of Lock Haven, a May graduate of Susquehanna, met Derk through her involvement with the Susquehanna University College Republicans.
“He and his wife, Erin, are just very down-to-earth people,” she said. “The Susquehanna Valley and the whole district seems to match more with Malcolm’s beliefs. I think we need somebody in there who’s going to work for their constituents and actually take it to Washington. There is no doubt in my mind he would do that.”
Kantz believes the fact that Derk is young and energetic and from one of the smaller counties in the 10th Congressional District would work to his advantage if he decides to run.
Derk, who was a member of Freeburg Borough Council for six years, serves as the public relations co-chair for the Snyder County GOP. He is a graduate of Selinsgrove Area High School and Susquehanna University, where he majored in political science and religion. Upon graduation, he worked at Susquehanna’s Business Services office and later for the University Relations office.
