Frank Robert Mascara (January 19, 1930 – July 10, 2011)
was an American
Democratic politician from
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
who served four terms in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
from 1995 to 2003. He was the uncle of
St. Lucie County,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
Sheriff
Ken Mascara. His Grandson
Matthew Mascara entered the political arena by earning the Democratic nomination for Westmoreland County treasurer, however falling short in the general election garnering 41% of the vote.
Early life, education, and early political career
Mascara briefly served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and was an accountant before entering politics. He obtained a
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
from
California University of Pennsylvania in 1972.
Mascara next served as an elected official in
Washington County, near
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, for nearly 20 years. He was elected county controller in 1973 and as County Commissioner in 1979. He served on the Washington County Commission for 15 years, many of them as chairman.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
;Before 2000 Census
In 1992, Mascara launched a primary challenge to U.S. Congressman
Austin Murphy, a 16-year incumbent, in the
20th Congressional District, which comprised most of the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh. He lost the race by 3,000 votes. When Murphy retired two years later, Mascara handily won the Democratic primary to replace him. Although the 20th was considered the most Democratic district in Pennsylvania outside the districts based in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
and
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, Mascara earned a narrow victory in the general election against
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
businessman Mike McCormick. Mascara faced the same opponent — and another narrow win — in 1996. However, the district reverted to form afterwards, and Mascara was unopposed in 1998. He easily won a fourth term in 2000.
;After 2000 Census
The Republican-controlled state legislature significantly altered Mascara's district.
The district was renumbered as the 18th District, and was considerably more affluent than its predecessor. It was also somewhat friendlier to Republicans, even though there were still 70,000 more registered Democrats in the district than Republicans. A large portion of the area Mascara had represented for the past eight years was shifted to the neighboring
Johnstown-based 12th District, represented by 28-year incumbent Democrat
John Murtha
John Patrick Murtha Jr. (; June 17, 1932 – February 8, 2010) was an American politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democrat, represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Represent ...
.
The newly drawn district was widely criticized, since portions of several neighborhoods were split between two districts. In some cases, one side of the street was in the 18th while the other was in the 12th; in others, one side of the street was in the 18th while the other was in the Pittsburgh-based 14th. In one of the more extreme examples, most of Mascara's hometown,
Charleroi
Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. —including most of his neighborhood—was drawn into the 12th. However, a long tendril extending from his house to
Allegheny County remained in the 18th.
Mascara opted to run against Murtha in the 12th's Democratic primary, since the redrawn 12th contained more of Mascara's old territory than Murtha's. After a bruising primary filled with negative campaigning by both candidates, Murtha won by a wider than expected margin. The 18th was taken over by Republican
State Senator Tim Murphy Timothy Murphy may refer to:
Politics
* Tim Murphy (American politician) (born 1952), American Republican Party politician from Pennsylvania
* Tim Murphy (Canadian politician) (born 1959), Canadian politician
* Timothy J. Murphy (1893–1949), I ...
.
Tenure
In Congress, Mascara was a moderate Democrat who opposed abortion and gun control, but whose voting record was otherwise consistent with the Democratic line. He was regarded as a political powerbroker among Democrats with a record of scoring federal money for local projects.
In both Washington and his home district, Mascara projected a
blue-collar
A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involving manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and powe ...
,
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
image. He liked to say frequently, "I don't go to the
nightclubs
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
and big restaurants. ... I don't
drink. I don't
gamble
Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three eleme ...
. I don't whore around."
Death
Mascara died of lung cancer on July 10, 2011, at Mon Valley Hospital in
Monongahela, Pennsylvania
Monongahela, referred to locally as Mon City, is a third class city in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is about south of Pittsburgh proper. The population was 4 ...
.
Electoral history
Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1994, write-ins received 12 votes. In 1996, write-ins received 4 votes. In 1998, write-ins received 190 votes.
References
*Joe Smydo. "Political Survival at Stake." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 05/12/2002. p. B1.
*Joe Smydo. "Morgan Encouraged Mascara Candidacy to Make Murphy 'Hustle.'" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 05/03/1992. p. W1.
*David Templeton. "Mascara is Victor." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 05/11/1994. p A12.
*
https://observer-reporter.com/news/localnews/matthew-mascara-is-part-of-a-political-dynasty/article_8d51b11a-0a28-11ea-ade5-7f0695aac362.amp.html
External links
* official U.S. House website (archived)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mascara, Frank
1930 births
2011 deaths
People from Fayette County, Pennsylvania
People from Charleroi, Pennsylvania
American accountants
Military personnel from Pennsylvania
United States Army soldiers
Deaths from lung cancer in Pennsylvania
California University of Pennsylvania alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
20th-century American politicians
21st-century American politicians
Washington County Commissioners (Pennsylvania)