Municipal races abound in Washington County
Among the races in which voters chose party nominees Tuesday were those for a host of municipal elective offices whose holders set local real estate taxes, make decisions on ordinances, and hire, fire and set wages for police offices and local government workers.
Highlights of some of those races in Washington County are below. Results are unofficial until certified by the Washington County elections board. Tallies of write-in votes weren’t available Wednesday.
In the race for the next Donora mayor, James McDonough II beat John Conger and Dennis Gutierrez for the Democratic nomination. Eighty-seven Republicans wrote names into primary ballots in that race.
Democrats in the borough also chose nominees from a field of eight hopefuls to fill four seats on concil. Yancey Taylor, Cynthia Brice, Michael McDowell and Jane Ackerman secured Democratic nominations. They beat Dale Shawley Jr., Jimmie Coulter, Edward Barquette and McDonough, who also sought a council seat. On the Republican side, there were 219 write-in votes.
Democrats in Charleroi nominated Jody Doerfler Cheplic, Jeannine Lofink Moty, Heidi Cramer and Larry Celaschi for seats on council. They beat Paul Pivovarnik and Frank Paterra, There were 79 GOP write-in votes.
In the borough mayoral race, Edward Bryner beat Nancy Ellis for a Democratic nomination. Republicans cast 38 write-in ballots.
In the contested race for California mayor, Rosemary Campanna beat Jim Maddiex. GOP voters submitted 73 write-in ballots.
No Republicans were named on ballots in any of those Mon Valley borough races.
North Strabane Township, where only Republicans – three candidates seeking two supervisor seats – appeared on the primary ballot, was the mirror image of those three towns. There, GOP voters voters picked Neil Kelly and Harold Close as nominees over Sonia Stopperich Sulc.
Democrats cast 498 write-in ballots.
In neighboring South Strabane Township, Democrats picked Bracken Burns Sr. and Cynthia Rossi to represent them in the primary over Kathy Pienkowski and Mary Helicke. The two nominees will face the Republican candidates Daryl Price and Richard Luketich – who bested John Keisling, Russell Grego and Ed Mazur – in the November general election.
Only Democrats appeared on the ballot for a supervisor seat North Franklin Township, where Martha Ward edged out Bob Sabot. But Republicans cast 176 write-in votes in that race, and a Facebook post indicated Sabot unofficially won the Republican nomination.