Skip to main content

Ex-Congressman Tom Marino’s got a new job

June 10, 2019

Former U.S. Rep. Tom Marino left his job in Congress in January, weeks after being sworn in for the two-year term, citing health reasons and a pending job in the private sector.

Now the Republican ex-lawmaker is working with a company that makes so-called skill game devices.

The video gaming terminals found in convenience stores, bars, and other establishments again have come under scrutiny in Harrisburg, where a group of lawmakers and the state Lottery are seeking to crack down on unregulated gambling that they view as cutting into the lottery's revenues.

Marino has been quoted in news stories about legislation aimed at the skill-based gambling devices because of his new position as counsel and vice president of government affairs at Pace-O-Matic, which provides technology and software for devices under the Pennsylvania Skill brand name.

Miele Manufacturing, based in Marino's hometown of Williamsport, makes the cabinets for the devices.

A former U.S. attorney, Marino quit that job in 2007 during a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into a reference letter he had written to help secure a state casino license for Louis DeNaples, whom the state gaming board had accused of lying about mob ties.

Marino then went to work for DeNaples before entering Congress in 2010 by defeating defeating Democratic incumbent Chris Carney.

Wild, House Dems urge Senate to take up election reform bill

The bills churning out of the newly Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives has largely landed with a thud in the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, where GOP leaders have had no interest in taking up measures on gun control, shoring up the Affordable Care Act, or creating a legal pathway for undocumented individuals brought to the U.S. as children.

Freshmen House Democrats are seeking to change that trend when it comes to their election reform bill, known as HR 1.

The broad measure, which passed the House in March, would change how elections are funded, expand voting access, boost election security and require presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns. It includes a provision from Lehigh Valley Congresswoman Susan Wild to require all states to offer at least 15 consecutive days of early voting for federal elections.

Wild was among the House Democratic freshmen who signed a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, urging him to take up the bill.

"The right to fully participate in our democracy is the core of our nation, and the For The People Act would ensure that every American has the power to choose their government and hold it accountable," Wild said in a statement.

Wild, Meuser on ‘Business Matters' Monday

U.S. Reps. Susan Wild, D-7th District, and Dan Meuser, R-9th District, took questions about what they've been up to in Congress during a recent forum hosted by Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce President Tony Iannelli.

Wild represents the Lehigh Valley. Meuser's district includes Carbon, Schuylkill and much of Berks County.