A ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday marked the opening of an office of the Carbon County Democratic Party in downtown Lehighton.

The new office is located in the Elks Building, with the main entrance at 110 South First Street.Billy O'Gurek, chairman of the Carbon Democrats, cut the ribbon that was held by several party candidates for state and federal offices.He said that during the summer months, the office will be open three days per week. It will be open more days as the November election draws closer.The reason for opening the office, O'Gurek said, is to provide resources for all the candidates, phone line campaigns, offer a place for local clubs to have meetings, and as an informational center for the general public.A special moment occurred when Gene Stilp of Lackawanna County, a candidate for U.S. Congress in the 11th Congressional District, presented a 3x5 foot replica of a flag that he had designed for the Shanksville 9/11 Memorial to O'Gurek.Matt Cartwright, a candidate for the 17th Congressional District, remarked, "It's great to be back in Carbon County and it's a great, wonderful time when we open a Democratic headquarters."Ronald Rabenold, candidate for state representative in the 122nd Legislative District, stated of the new office, "This is just a culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of volunteers. It shows a lot of citizens are interested in the issues and voting their interests."Also participating in the ribbon cutting and making comments were candidates Tom Seip, Pennsylvania State Senate, 29th District, and Eugene DePasquala, state auditor general.