Terry Ronzio, a Holbrook man who has walked miles along area roads to show his support for U.S. troops, has announced he will run for representative in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District as a Unity Party of America candidate.
"I'm unhappy with the direction this country is going," Ronzio said in a news release announcing his bid for office.
"Our so-called leaders in Congress are dividing and not uniting this nation, and I've decided to run for Congress to make a stand," he said. "My father used to tell me that 'You only need one match to start a fire,' and I'm lighting a fire for patriotism with my run."
Ronzio, 44, will run against Congressman John Murtha, D-Johnstown. Murtha faces no opponents in the primary. The lone Republican candidate who announced his intention to run for the seat was found last month to have not collected enough signatures to make the ballot.
"We're very excited to have Terry run as a Unity Party candidate," said Bill Hammons, Unity Party of America chairman. "Congressman Murtha is a Washington poster boy for bad spending; the central plank of the Unity Party's platform is a balanced budget amendment and the national party will do whatever it can to support Terry's run," he said.
Ronzio is an herbalist by day and disc jockey by night when he's not walking thousands of miles on local roads bearing the American flag to show support for the troops.
Ronzio, who could not be reached Friday for comment, earlier told the newspaper that he started walking after he became convinced troops in Iraq were seldom hearing anything positive about their efforts.
"I just wanted to do something for them," Ronzio said then. "I wanted them to know there are guys like me who are doing what they can to unite the people behind them."
The Unity Party was founded on Nov. 4, 2004. According to its Web site, it supports a balance budget amendment, elimination of taxes on people earning less than $30,000 and the levying of a flat tax of 30 percent on everyone else.
The party now covers 23 states and will be holding its first convention in Boulder, Colo., in August. Its Web site is www.unityparty.us.
