Ron DiNicola

Ron DiNicola, an Erie Democrat, has established an exploratory committee to consider a run for Congress in the newly created 16th Congressional District.

An attorney, Harvard University graduate and former U.S. Marine, DiNicola has begun circulating nominating petitions and traveling throughout the district to meet with local leaders and talk with voters about issues.

He said the recent decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to strike down the state’s congressional district lines for unconstitutional gerrymandering and drawing of new district lines gives voters in the newly formed 16th District a choice in the upcoming election. The new district includes Erie, Crawford, Mercer and Lawrence counties and the western portion of Butler County.

“The voters in northwestern Pennsylvania can finally choose a representative based on his or her ideas, vision, character, and principles, rather than a candidate’s party affiliation being the dominant factor in who gets elected,” DiNicola said. “My wife, Monica, and I, along with our three daughters, have concluded that despite the rigors of such a race, the challenges facing the people of our region and the nation compel us as a family to consider such a run.”

He said he has balanced a commitment to local public service with the demands of his national law practice. He said he has been a leader in various statewide and local initiatives including the effort to expand pre-kindergarten education for 3 and 4 year olds; spearheading a bipartisan coalition focusing on work force empowerment and a community college; and relaunching the Erie Police Athletic League that places police officers and sheriff deputies in activities with inner city kids to build bonds of trust.

The son of an immigrant bricklayer, DiNicola grew up on Erie’s west side in a house his father built. After graduating high school, he joined the Marines where he graduated first in his platoon at Parris Island, S.C. He was awarded the Leatherneck Magazine Award for Leadership.

Trained in boxing as a youngster by top contender Lou Bizzarro and Stan Rocky in Erie, DiNicola went on to win the All-Marine boxing title, various state Golden Gloves titles and to compete nationally representing the Marines. After serving in the Marines, he attended Harvard on the GI Bill and obtained a degree in government before receiving his law degree from Georgetown University.

He served as a law clerk to Chief U.S. District Judge Gerald Weber in Pittsburgh and Erie. He served as legal counsel to various high profile investigative panels including the (Warren)Christopher Commission in Los Angeles in the 1990s. While serving as Erie County solicitor, he said he drafted term limit legislation for public officials that became law and authorized the filing of a lawsuit to prevent Erie County from being designated as a rural county for state funding purposes.

In private practice, DiNicola said he successfully represented more than 1,000 laid-off GE workers in reversing a ruling by the U.S. Department of Labor denying Trade Adjustment Assistance benefits, resulting in a landmark decision that freed up millions of dollars for local families.

In addition, he said he worked with his longtime client Muhammad Ali in advocating for federal legislation to reform the sport and protect boxers culminating in passage of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act sponsored by U.S. Sen. John McCain.

He said he will take a leave of absence from the chairmanship of various local nonprofit boards as he considers a run for Congress.