Jim O'Meara is Running for State Representative

Republican Jim O'Meara is running for state Representative in Pennsylvania. This is practically a miracle when one considers that six months ago he feared placing an order at the deli. He wrote his order for lunch meat on paper and gave it the clerk hoping that no one would ask any questions.

If the clerks did O'Meara probably would have no idea what they were asking. He could not hear them.

O'Meara suffers from Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a genetic disease that causes bones to break easily and can lead to loss of hearing. He lived in what he described as a "bubble." His hearing began to fade in the ninth grade of high school and was gone by March 2009. Once an optimist his confidence faded. That began to change on September 4, 2009 . His doctors at the the University of Pennsylvania switched on a cochlear implant in his right ear. The first noise he heard felt like a miracle.

He will run for the 121st Legislative District seat which incumbent Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, has held since 2006. In the past he thought he would be limited to helping other candidates win elections. Now, he is entering the race to give the voters a clear choice in the election. He is running on a platform that addresses the greatest issues in Pennsylvania, jobs and property tax reform. He also wants to keep doctors in the state, such as the ones who helped with his hearing, from leaving the state because of high practice costs. The cost of medical malpractice insurance is known to be astronomical.

O'Meara states that, "When you've been given a miracle you've got to do everything to give it back." He is running for state representative to give something back to the community.

O'Meara has a very impressive work history. A high school graduate without a college degree, he has a professional job. He is an information systems supervisor for North Star Food Service in Pittston, Pennsylvania. He is also working his way up in the Republican Party. He is the treasurer of the Sixth District Republican Committee in Luzerne County and has been instrumental in organizing Republican fundraisers.

Renita Fennick, the executive director of the Luzerne County Republican Party, is one of his strongest supporters. She considers him a good candidate, intelligent and positive. She said that, "Jim has always been a great, upbeat guy, and he was involved even when his hearing wasn't as good as it is now. But he is a whole different person" since obtaining the cochlear implant.

O'Meara admits that he is inexperienced, and sees himself as a rookie. On the positive side, O'Meara states that, "What I do have is a heck of a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of drive."

Source: Andrew Staub, 'Rookie' Republican plans to challenge Pashinski in fall, The Citizens' Voice newspaper of Wilkes-Barre, PA, February 25, 2010