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3-26-07
Linhardt Receives Republican Party Endorsement
Williamsport, PA

On March 20^th, the Lycoming County Republican Committee voted to endorse Eric Linhardt as our next District Attorney. Their endorsement is indicative of the support and enthusiasm Eric continues to receive throughout Lycoming County.



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1-11-07
Linhardt Campaign Announcement
Williamsport, PA

Williamsport attorney Eric R. Linhardt has announced that he will seek the Republican nomination in the May primary for Lycoming County District Attorney.

Linhardt’s campaign committee, chaired by Dr. John Kelsey, filed Wednesday morning January 10^th with voter services in Williamsport. Attorney and Williamsport High School teacher R. Craig Niklaus will serve as campaign treasurer.

Linhardt was born at Fort Muncy Army Hospital, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas where his father was a Captain in the United States Army. Linhardt began his legal career at the Lycoming County Public Defender’s Office. He then worked as a civil trial attorney with the Williamsport law firm of Mitchell, Mitchell, Gray and Gallagher before opening his own practice in 1995.

Linhardt’s practice concentrates in the area of criminal defense in state and federal courts. Linhardt also acts as guardian ad litem through the Lycoming-Clinton Joinder Board, representing nearly all of the dependent children of Lycoming County in court proceedings.

Linhardt has several priorities for the District Attorney’s Office. “First and foremost, we must impose swift and just punishment against those who would threaten our communities by engaging in criminal behavior”.

“We must always be mindful of our primary responsibility to be a voice for the innocent victim”, he says.

Linhardt also believes that the District Attorney must work in partnership with law enforcement to ensure that they have all of the equipment, resources, training and support they require to do their jobs. “Quality, professional investigations are the foundation of every successful prosecution. Our police and our community deserve nothing less.”

“The District Attorney must assume a position of leadership among our law enforcement and government agencies, as well as our business and community leaders, to help find ways in which we can be more proactive in finding real solutions to questions of public safety. We must spend at least as much time preventing crime as we do prosecuting it.”

Linhardt notes that he is running for District Attorney because he wants Lycoming County to remain a safe place to live, work and raise a family. “It is an opportunity for me to give back to the community that has given me and my family so much.”

Linhardt made his decision to run after discussing the matter with friends, family, members of the community, court personnel and law enforcement officers who he found shared his concerns about the future direction of the District Attorney’s office.

Linhardt received his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Political Science from Union College in Schenectady, New York, and his law degree from the George Washington University in Washington D.C. Linhardt has been invited to lecture on Pennsylvania DUI law.

He is a member of Our Neighborhoods. He and his wife, Elizabeth, and two daughters are members of Ohev Shalom Synagogue.
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1-19-07
Solid Support at Campaign Kickoff Reception
Williamsport, PA

A crowd of over 170 supporters gathered together filling the upper banquet room of 33East on Friday night as a show of support for the Campaign kickoff of Eric Linhardt. Linhardt is running for Lycoming County District Attorney.



The crowd of well wishers and supporters was a rare mix of both Republican and Democratic Officials and voters, with a strong contingency from the local law community.

Campaign Chariman Dr. John Kelsey took the podium to recognize the over 20 elect officials in attendance and to thank the group for their support. Dr. Kelsey then spoke about Linhardt, intoducing him as, "...God willing, the next Disctrict Attorney of Lycoming County".

Linhardt then took the podium and spoke, thanking the crowd of well wishers, elected officials, his steering and campaign comittee and his family.

The following is the text of Mr. Linhardt’s prepared remarks.

In 2006 we celebrated Williamsport’s bicentennial. And as we celebrate this bicentennial, I do not believe it is an overstatement to say that our community is at a crossroads. For while I believe that we are on the verge of accomplishing great things, I am also deeply troubled by the increase we have seen in violent crime.

Some suggest that the increase in crime that we have experienced is simply similar to what is being faced by other small communities in Pennsylvania--- as if we should take comfort in the fact that this is all somehow inevitable or beyond our control.

I will not accept that. I refuse to believe or accept that an increase in crime or a decrease in public safety is ever acceptable, ever inevitable or ever beyond our control.

Our future is what we make it.

If we fail to ensure our public safety, then everything else that we are attempting to do as a community will fail. Families who feel unsafe will move. If our crime rates increase to unacceptable levels, businesses will leave and new ones will not come. The first question every parent asks before sending their child to Penn College or Lycoming College is how safe is the neighborhood around your campus? Our hospital is preparing to invest $250 million dollars in its expansion. They should not have to worry whether their employees, their patients or their patients’ families are safe as they walk from the parking lot to their building.

Members of the public have a direct interest in how well the District Attorney’s Office performs its role because public safety affects all of us.

As District Attorney I will impose swift and just punishment against those who choose to endanger our community by engaging in criminal behavior.

As District Attorney I will be ever mindful of our primary responsibility to be a voice for the innocent victim.

As District Attorney I will work in close partnership with our law enforcement agencies to see that they have all of the equipment, resources, training and support they require to do their jobs. Quality professional investigations are the foundation of every successful prosecution. Our police and our community deserve nothing less.

As District Attorney I will assume a position of leadership among our government and law enforcement agencies, and our community and business leaders to find ways in which we can be more proactive in finding real solutions to issues of public safety. We must spend at least as much time preventing crime as we do prosecuting it.

As an attorney in private practice I have demanded passion, commitment and the highest quality work from myself and those who work for me. As District Attorney I will insist on nothing less.

The District Attorney’s Office must maintain excellence in prosecution.

I have heard police officers wonder out loud why it seems that all of the good lawyers are on the other side. Police, victims and the public should rest assured that some of the very best lawyers are also on their side.

As District Attorney it will be my mission to serve the residents of Lycoming County by seeking truth, protecting the innocent, holding the guilty accountable, preserving the dignity of victims and their families, and ensuring justice while always maintaining the highest ethical standards.

For those of you who don’t know me well, let me say a few words of introduction.

I was born at the Fort Muncy Army Hospital in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas where my father was a Captain in the United States Army.

Sixteen years ago, my life was profoundly changed for the better when I moved here, because it is here that I met my wife and my best friend. Together we decided to stay and make this our home because of the values and opportunities this area has to offer.

I was raised in a family that taught me the importance of faith and family, of courage and loyalty, of honesty and integrity, of perseverance and private charity.

To me, these are not just words, but values I carry with me that effect every decision I make and how I live my life.

Benjamin Franklin said that the noblest question in the world is what good may I do in it.

I am not running for District Attorney because I have long envisioned myself in politics. I am not running for District Attorney because I see this as a stepping stone to other things.

I am running for District Attorney because as I talk to family and friends, people in the community, courthouse personnel, and police officers, I find that they share my concerns about the future direction of the District Attorney’s Office, and our community.

I am running for District Attorney because I want Lycoming County to remain a safe place to live and work and raise a family.

I am running for District Attorney because it is an opportunity for me to give back to the community that has given me and my family so much.

I thank you all for being here. I am flattered and humbled. I am eternally grateful for your support, and I look forward over the coming months to a conversation with each of you about what we can do together to improve the lives of Lycoming County residents by preserving our quality of life, and ensuring that this community remains a safe place to live and work.

Thank you. Thank you all very much.
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