Oct 26, 2017 4 min read

A spokesman for the Washington County Republican Committee blasted the League of Women Voters as a “Democrat-dominated, left-leaning group intent on smearing a major-party candidate” for its attempts to set up a pre-election forum for an open district judge seat.

The league president, meanwhile, defended the organization as a “nonpartisan organization whose objective is to bring information to voters about candidates in important races.”

Republican Committee spokesman David Ball responded via email to the Observer-Reporter’s request for comment from magisterial candidate Jacob Machel as the circumstances of what may turn out to be an “empty chair” forum unfolded this week.

The forum is scheduled to take place from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Peters Township Public Library, but members of the league said Machel has failed to respond to their many invitations to participate. His opponent, Jesse D. Pettit, has accepted.

Machel, 29, was the only candidate on the ballot in the May primary for an open seat that District Judge James Ellis will be vacating when his fifth six-year term expires in early January. Machel won both the Democratic and Republican nominations, besting two write-in candidates, Diane DiSalle and Bill Merrell.

Over the summer, Pettit, 42, filed as an independent, and his name also will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot. Both men have addresses in Peters Township, where the district is based. It also includes Nottingham and Union townships and Finleyville.

“The (League) is doing the bidding of the Democratic Party in attempting to hold a set-up town hall event as they have with local elected officials for which they are so famous,” Ball inveighed in a news release. “This is a desperate move on the part of the (League) to bail out a losing Democratic candidate. The Republican candidate has no reason to participate in an ambush.”

Pettit, a Pittsburgh attorney, is the son of the late John C. Pettit, former Washington County district attorney.

Ball called Pettit “a fringe party candidate,” although the term “independent,” in Pennsylvania, signifies a candidate with no party affiliation.

Pettit registered as a Democrat in Washington County in 1995 and he switched to independent in April of this year, according to elections office records. Machel registered as a Republican in 2011.

Machel, a commercial real estate broker who has a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics, previously said he spent more than 400 hours in Ellis’ office.

Ellis, 62, a former Peters police officer who was elected magistrate in 1987, participated in a multi-candidate forum before securing the nominations of both major parties.

Ellis circulated nominating petitions earlier this year, but on the morning of the filing deadline, he announced he did not intend to seek a sixth term.

Machel and Ryan Welsch, who later withdrew from the race, had filed nominating petitions March 6 and 7, respectively, with the Washington County elections office, hours before Ellis chose to make public his impending retirement.

“The League takes no position on candidates or parties,” President Margaret Jennings wrote to the newspaper in response to Ball’s criticism. “All our voter service activities allow candidates to speak freely to the voters in their own words and with equal time.

“The magisterial district judge position is the important first step in the Pennsylvania judicial system,” handling traffic violations, landlord-tenant disputes, civil actions of less than $12,000, summary offenses and, in criminal cases, arraignments, the setting of bond, and preliminary hearings.

“The current race is one about which residents have expressed an interest,” Jennings wrote.

“Both candidates have been invited and we look forward to both candidates’ attendance.”

Ball countered, “They say that voters are asking or information but we have not heard any requests for information.”

“Machel has not answered phone messages, emails and paper invitations left at his door,” according to the League. The organization prefers to hear from both candidates, “but if Machel does not participate, the event will still be held with Pettit.”

Messages left Tuesday and Wednesday by the Observer-Reporter on Machel’s cellphone were not returned, nor were emails those days requesting comment.

A magisterial district judge’s annual salary is $89,428.

Managing editor Linda Ritzer contributed to this report.