Gene Duffy, a Jim Thorpe resident, has announced his bid for Carbon County Commissioner.

Gene graduated in 1991 from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering where he also earned a varsity letter as a walk-on member of the Penn State Football team. After a 3 year stint in semi-pro football which eventually landed him in Rocklin CA with a near NFL contract with the San Francisco 49ers, Gene moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in show business where he was the founder and president of Rising Peak Productions. The company was credited with a theatre production and a low budget feature film called "Living With Uncle Ray" which won an award at the Park City Film Music Festival.Midway through his 10 year stint in Hollywood Gene had a political awakening and later found himself very active in the freedom and original tea party movement that organically sprung up around the Ron Paul campaign. As a precinct captain for Ron Paul, Gene also found himself heavily involved with the start up of the national movement "End the Fed" which now has chapters all across the country and whose goal is to eliminate the central bank known as the Federal Reserve that is responsible for the meltdown of our currency and the hyper inflation that is on it's way.In 2008 Gene ran for and was elected to the Los Angeles Republican Central County Committee with 20 other freedom candidates who believed in true Republican principles of non-interventionism, peace, limited government, civil liberties and a sound currency. With LA County being the largest in the country this rejuvenation of the Republican Party in Los Angeles helped set the tone for a new type of Republican Party based on the constitution not nation building and neo-con ideals such as pre-emptive war and torture.Here in Carbon County Gene has been an outspoken critic of big government policies and has served as organizer for the Carbon County Constitutionalists. This group has been active in such local activities as the Carbon County Sheriff Brigade, opposing the Packerton Yards project, hosting events such as constitutional seminars and bringing in nationally known speakers such as Stuart Rhodes who serves as president of Oath Keepers and renowned constitutional sheriff, Richard Mack, who defeated the Clinton administration in the Supreme Court over the Brady Bill and who will be appearing at the Mauch Chunk Opera House on April 9th.Duffy is running for Carbon County Commissioner on the Republican ticket and is standing on the same constitutional platform as Republican Robert Dages and Democrat Gerald F. Strubinger for commissioners and Republican Steve Armbruster for sheriff.