Former US Representatives Peter H. Kostmayer and James C. Greenwood went their separate ways following the 1992 election for US Congress in Bucks County. But now, 30 years later, the two bitter rivals will share a stage to relive that divisive campaign and air their thoughts on the culture of today’s political world. The event is scheduled for 6:30-7:45 p.m., Wednesday, May 18, at the Free Library of Northampton Township, 25 Upper Holland Road, Richboro.
Kostmayer and Greenwood will be interviewed by Andy Warren and Hal Marcovitz, authors of the book Notes on Bucks County: Reflections on Politics in Pennsylvania’s Most Curious and Captivating Collar County. The book provides a history and analysis of the often-chaotic world of Bucks County politics over the past 75 years. A chapter, titled the “Kostmayer-Greenwood War,” is featured in the book. You can learn more about the book and the upcoming Kostmayer-Greenwood forum at the website notesonbuckscounty.com.
Kostmayer, a Democrat, entered Congress following the 1976 election after upsetting a GOP candidate in a congressional district that had long been regarded as a Republican stronghold. In 1992, he faced his toughest challenger: Greenwood, at the time a state senator who had quickly established himself as the most popular Republican officeholder in Bucks County. Their long-awaited duel finally arrived in 1992 in what became the most bitter and expensive election in the county’s history. In the end, Greenwood emerged victorious and held the seat until 2005.
After leaving public office, Kostmayer dedicated himself to several progressive causes, recently retiring from the post of CEO of Citizens Committee for New York City, an organization that provides mini-grants to neighborhood improvement projects in New York. After leaving the US House, Greenwood headed the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, a trade group that represents the nation’s biotechnology companies, before retiring in 2020.
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