Write-in candidates lose in Peters Township School Board race
Four candidates mounting a write-in campaign for Peters Township School Board narrowly lost during the Nov. 2 election.
The unofficial results of that race, along with the Donora Borough Council election, were not known until Wednesday afternoon when the Washington County canvass board completed counting all write-in votes.
While the write-in candidates mounted a strong campaign in Peters Township, it was candidates who won positions on the ballot during the May primary who were successful in winning four seats on the school board.
Cross-filed candidate Rebecca Bowman received the most votes with 3,006, followed by Republican Daniel Taylor with 2,836, while Democrats Lisa Anderson with 2,709 and Shari Payne with 2,399 secured the final two seats on the board. Republican candidates Joseph Deegan and R. Scott Meyers narrowly lost with 2,376 and 2,361 votes respectively.
The four write-in candidates finished within a few hundred votes of the final winner. However, the write-in campaign may have unexpectedly handed two seats to Democratic candidates despite Peters Township’s heavy Republican registration advantage. Alex Patrick O’Neill received the most write-in votes with 2,221 followed by Tabitha Cavanagh with 2,185 votes, Teresa Lenington with 2,159 votes and Daniel Taormina with 2,152 votes.
In the race for Donora Borough Council, Tommy Thompson mounted a successful write-in campaign with 406 votes. The other winners in that race included cross-filed candidates Frederick T. Berestecky and Cynthia Brice with 552 and 488 votes respectively, along with Democrat Michael McDowell with 393 votes. Write-in candidate Mike Vitalbo received 360 votes and Democrat P. Jane Ackerman received 399 votes in their losing bids for council.
Two other races for council in other boroughs are currently tied.
In California, Democrats Patsy J. Alfano, Jon Bittner and Edwin Chip Glab won election to council, while Republicans John Frank and Frank Stetar tied for the final seat with 342 votes. However, Stetar also was a cross-filed candidate for mayor, which he easily won. Stetar said Thursday he will serve as mayor and give the council seat to Frank.
“I’m going to concede and let him have the seat, and I’ll take mayor,” Stetar said.
That probably won’t be the case in Bentleyville, where two tying candidates on council will likely pick lots to see which one of them serves.
Republican Joseph Pigeon III and Democrats Timothy Miller and Thomas Brown won election to council, but Republican Jason A. Cole and Democrat Stanley A. Glowaski tied with 257 votes for the final seat.
Elections Director Melanie Ostrander said after the results are certified later this month, there will be a casting of lots to determine the winner. Cole and Glowaski will pick from a bag numbered balls, and the person with the highest number will win the seat. A date for that has not yet been set.