County Democratic chairman resigns
Washington County Democratic Party Chairman Ron Sicchitano resigned his position, and a new leader, Philip Anderson of South Franklin Township, has taken over the top spot.
Sicchitano, 66, said Friday he stepped down because “I achieved my goals,” which included recruiting Democrats “who wanted to work and still had fire in their bellies.”
He found the leadership position so time-consuming that it was affecting his health and cutting into his time with his family.
“I weighed what my priorities were, and my family came first,” he said. “A lot of people are going to say I was forced out. That’s not the truth at all. I’m very happy with what the committee achieved. My detractors, I enjoyed sparring with them. The party changed from a stagnant social club that is now a viable entity. In two and a half years, I think that’s a great accomplishment.”
The Democratic Party dominated Washington County politics from Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal through the 1980s, holding huge margins over Republicans during labor’s heyday in the steel and coal industries. Sicchitano, a retired United Mine Workers member, spent 34 years producing coal.
The suburbanization of northern Washington County since then has seen the growth of voter registration among the Republican Party and independents. The Pennsylvania Department of State website lists Washington County voter registration as 68,057 Democratic, 55,407 Republican and 15,573 unaffiliated or “other,” for a total of 139,037.
Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton took a drubbing in Washington County in the Nov. 8 presidential election, losing to Republican Donald Trump by a margin of 61,386 to just 36,322. The last Democratic presidential candidate carrying Washington County was John Kerry in 2004, and that was by 552 votes.
Sicchitano, who was elected party chairman in July 2014, remains a North Bethlehem Township Democratic committeeman. With his resignation from the Washington County Democratic Party chairmanship, the post went to First Vice Chairman Dorothy Smida of Union Township. She appointed Anderson her first vice chairman and then resigned, making the South Franklin Township resident leader of the party.
Anderson, 42, moved to Washington County in 2011. He is director of sales at Professional Technical Services Inc. of Pittsburgh.
“There’s been a lot of infighting” among local Democrats, Anderson said, which he sees as a “distraction from what should be our primary focus, getting Democrats elected. I’m not particularly aligned with any of the factions.”
The Democrats’ next leadership election is slated for 2018.