PIKE COUNTY, PA — Pike County Commissioners Rich Caridi and Matt Osterberg, both Republicans, issued a press release saying they will participate in the upcoming public forum sponsored by the Pike County Member-at-Large Chapter of the League of Women Voters on Monday, October 19 at 7 p.m. in the Dingman-Delaware Middle School Auditorium in Dingmans Ferry.

Earlier, the commissioner’s two Democratic opponents, David Ruby and Steven Guccini, had announced that they also would be participating.

The Caridi and Osterberg press release said, “Caridi and Osterberg expressed their gratitude to forum organizers for the opportunity to meet yet again with Pike County residents. The issues that face our county’s families are our issues. Over the last three years, we put leadership that listens into action and instituted initiatives that are building a stronger community and strengthening our families and Pike County’s future.”

Previously Ruby and Guccini released a statement that said, “More transparency is needed in Pike County government, and we are looking forward to this opportunity to answer questions from the public about our campaign platform and qualifications. We are grateful to the League of Women Voters for this opportunity.”

The races between the commissioner candidates have sparked a couple of issues, with Ruby and Guccini attacking Caridi and Osterberg for mismanaging the county’s recycling facility, and the two incumbents responding that the challengers had gotten their facts wrong.

There were 35,554 registered voters in Pike County as of May 2015, and as of April 2015 there were 15,337 Republicans or about 43%; 12,555 Democrats or about 35%; and 7,626 voters registered to other parties or about 21%.