Updated: 9:01 AM EDT April 5, 2021
DRUMS, Pa. This time last year, economists estimated 40 percent of the nations’ restaurants were closed, leaving about 8 million people out of work.
It was the industry slammed the hardest by the pandemic.
Now, eatery owners are hoping for a comeback.
“I think it’s going to be a better year. Yes, they’re going to ease the restrictions, which will be a bigger help for smaller mom and pop places like us, said Jimmy Sabatino of Vesuvio s Pizzeria and Sports Bar in Luzerne County.
It will not be easy, but some experts said things can and will get better.
Democrat Maryann Velez and Republican John Lombardo announced they are running for Luzerne County Council.
Five seats on the 11-member council, which serves as the legislative branch of county government, will be on the ballot this year. Council members serve four-year terms and are paid $8,000 per year.
Lombardo, 27, lives in Pittston. He works as an emergency medical technician and full-time firefighter in the Pittston Fire Bureau.
He graduated from Penn State University with a bachelorâs degree in political science and media relations in 2015.
In a statement announcing his campaign, Lombardo said he has been heavily involved in local politics since he was 15. He said he has interned with legislators and worked for numerous campaigns.
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Jimmy Sabatino, a businessman from Drums, announced he will seek seat on Luzerne County Council as a Democratic primary election candidate.
Sabatino, 40, was born in Hazleton, where his family has run a popular restaurant since 1975. Sabatino and his siblings, Donald and Jenna, own and operate three Vesuvioâs locations in Hazleton, Drums, and Wilkes-Barre.
The Democrat lost an election for Butler Twp. supervisor in 2019 to Republican Frank Polidora by a vote total of 990 to 902. He has served as Luzerne County Democratic Party First District chairman since 2019 and is also active with Action Together NEPA as a member of the organizationâs advisory council.