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Few races may elicit low turnout
WAYNESBURG - Races for county jury commissioner, school boards and municipal offices will be some of the few local enticements to lure Greene County voters to the polls today.
Two women, Melaney Dufalla of Morgan Township and Lynn Leathers of Waynesburg, will square off for Democratic jury commissioner, the only countywide race on the ballot. Incumbent Jennie Confortini decided not to seek re-election.
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With so few countywide races, voter turnout could be rather light today, but Frances Pratt, county director of elections, is not ready to make that prediction just yet, especially since many areas have contested races for school director, supervisor and other offices.
"All of the races are important. Some may have greater interest for the public than others, but they are all vital," Pratt said. "We can just hope for good weather."
The last time the sheriff, coroner and jury commissioners had races was in 2005. The voter turnout for that primary was about 38 percent, but Ketchem had opposition and voters in the central part of the county elected a district judge.
Absentee ballots are often used as a predictor of voter turnout, and just 103 people submitted absentee ballots for today's primary. That is the lowest number in at least seven years.
All Greene County voters will make selections for statewide judge races for the Supreme, Superior and Commonwealth courts.
However, many of the contested races are on the municipal and school district levels. In each township, voters will nominate at least one supervisor and in each borough, a mayor and at least two council members will be nominated. Races for tax collector, constable, local boards of elections and other municipal offices will also appear on the ballot.
Four out of the five Greene County school districts will have races for school director.
Nowhere is the field more crowded than in Carmichaels Area, where voters will pick four candidates among 11 names that will appear on the ballot.
Three incumbent school directors, Richard L. Krause, Doug Kerr and Dr. William Czyzewski, will face a field of eight challengers - Dan Bailey, Dean W. Swaney, Dennis Osborne, Fred C. Clark Jr., Peter Shlosky, Sean Shea, Victor Frye and Jason Voithofer. The school board president, Ron Ferek, chose not to seek re-election. All but Fry cross-filed.
In Southeastern Greene, eight candidates are seeking four open seats. Incumbents Ed Kamenos, Leonard Novak, Don Humbert and Ginny Eberhart will face challenges from Janet Pennington, Sandy Theis, J.R. Antill and Sam Cossick. All but Novak cross-filed. He is running on the Democratic ticket.
Six candidates will vie for four open seats in Jefferson-Morgan. Bob Mitchell, Debbie Phillips, incumbent John Cantoni, incumbent Mark Pochron, Dan Bazzoli and John W. Shaffer III have cross-filed.
West Greene, which elects directors by sub-district, will have races in two of the three sub-districts. In Aleppo, Freeport and Gilmore townships, incumbent Shelia Simms and Michelle Ash will vie for one open seat. Five candidates in Center and Morris townships seek the two open seats. There, incumbents Harry Gillispie and James Handley will face challengers James Zimmerman, Loretta Cook and Elizabeth A. Stahl. All cross-filed.
The uncontested race is in Gray, Jackson and Richhill townships, where incumbent Greta Mooney is the only candidate for the one open seat.
Central Greene, which elects board members by sub-district, will have no contested races in any of its subdistricts.
In Waynesburg Borough, two candidates, incumbent Andrew Corfont and newcomer Alexandria Fitch, will appear on the ballot for the two open seats. In Perry, Wayne and Whiteley townships, incumbent Joanne Brookover will be the only candidate listed for the one open seat. And, in Franklin and Washington townships, no candidates have filed petitions to appear on the ballot, but voters can write-in a candidate's name.
The 44 polling places in Greene County will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. today. Voters in Greensboro Borough and Perry Township are reminded that their polling places may have changed recently. Perry Township's polling place has permanently moved to the Senior Citizens' Center, 303 Mt. Morris Road, Mt. Morris. Voters in Greensboro Borough will cast ballots at the log cabin at Front and County streets in the borough.
Election results will be posted on the county's Web site, www.co.greene.pa.us/elections.
