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Kostmayer and Greenwood to relive the 1992 Bucks County campaign for Congress

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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.


Marcovitz and Warren had front row seats for that 1992 clash of the titans. At the time, Marcovitz was a journalist who covered the campaign while Warren, a county commissioner, had been a long-time insider in Republican circles. Their 2021 book, Notes on Bucks County, is available through Amazon.com as well as Bucks County bookstores. Following the event, Warren and Marcovitz will be available to sign books outside the library.

There is no charge for admission to the event and no pre-registration is required.

The Kostmayer-Greenwood forum is the first of two planned events to help mark the publication of Notes on Bucks County. In June, Marcovitz and Warren are planning a similar event featuring leaders from both sides in the debate over the Point Pleasant water project—an issue that dominated the county in the 1980s that featured political upheaval, public protests and mass arrests. More information about the Point Pleasant forum will be released shortly.


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Event Date
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Event time
6:30 PM - 7:45 PM
Cost / donation
No charge
Contact
Hal Marcovitz, hmarcovitz@gmail.com, 2157186807
Categories
Community, Books

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