May 15, 2015 3 min read

Barring a write-in effort among Republicans, an independent or a challenge from a third-party candidate, two Washington County office-holders have clear sailing into an additional term that would begin in January 2016.

Mary Jo Poknis, 60, of Fallowfield Township, an incumbent Democrat, is the only candidate who filed from either major party to take office next year as the register of wills and clerk of orphans’ court. She is seeking her third, four-year term, and she had no opponent from either party in the 2011 election. The salary for the dual positions is $80,023.

Coroner S. Timothy Warco, also a Democratic incumbent, has no opposition in his quest for a seventh, four-year term. The coroner position pays $78,023 annually, which holds true for other Washington County row offices.

When voters in Washington County go to the polls Tuesday, they’ll see instructions to “vote for one,” and see only one name listed for several county offices.

There is no contest in the primary for the district attorney’s office. Incumbent Gene Vittone, 55, of Bentleyville, the lone Republican, is trying for a second, four-year term in the position that pays $175,572 annually. Trying to unseat him in the Nov. 3 general election will be one Democrat, Peter V. Marcoline, 38, of South Strabane Township.

Incumbent Democratic county Treasurer Francis King, 70, of Washington, is unopposed in the primary, as is his November opponent, David A. Borodaty, 50, of Donora, the only Republican seeking the office.

The winner of the Democratic primary’s prothonotary’s race, either Colleen Murphy Arnowitz, 61, of Monongahela, or Joy Schury Ranko, 55, of North Strabane Township, will square off in the fall against Republican candidate David D. Tennent III, 57, of Peters Township, who is running unopposed.

In Washington, incumbents Ken Westcott and Terry Faust being removed from the ballot due to nominating petition challenges made headlines while those who filed and remained on the ballot were out of the limelight. On the Democratic ticket, Monda Williams is seeking a nomination as a candidate for a four-year council seat while on the Republican ticket, Georgia Ballentyne is unopposed. Westcott has said he will mount a write-in campaign in the primary.

In a western Washington County magisterial race, incumbent District Judge Ethan T. Ward cross-filed for another six-year term. David Talpas, who filed only on the Democratic ticket then withdrew after facing a challenge to his nominating petitions, also plans to pursue a write-in campaign. A district judge’s salary is $88,290.

The district includes Amwell, Blaine, Buffalo, Claysville, Donegal, East Finley, Green Hills, Hopewell, Independence, Morris, South Franklin, West Finley and West Middletown.