Rowan to temporarily replace Vicites on election board
A Fayette County commissioner has relinquished his position on the election board as he seeks to represent the 9th Congressional District voters at the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
Commission Chairman Vincent Vicites is one of nine candidates that will appear on the April 26 election ballot when voters will choose who will carry their presidential candidate message to Philadelphia.
Commissioners typically step down from participating on the election board when they will appear on the ballot.
Last week, Court of Common Pleas President Judge John F. Wagner Jr. appointed Connellsville attorney Mark Rowan to serve as Vicites’ replacement.
Rowan, a registered Republican, replaced Commissioner Angela M. Zimmerlink on the election board last year as she sought re-election.
In his ruling, Wagner said that Rowan “shall replace (Vicites) on the election board for the 2016 primary election and shall continue in that capacity for the 2016 general election unless (Vicites) ceases to be a candidate in the (November) election.”
Rowan will join Republican Commissioner Dave Lohr and Zimmerlink on the election board.
The Democratic ballot shows four Fayette County delegate candidates, and one each from Cambria, Fulton, Franklin, Greene and Blair counties.
Local candidates include attorney and Fayette County Democratic Chairman James T. Davis of Redstone Township; Melinda Deal, also of Redstone Township; Michael G. Cordaro, Bullskin Township and Vicites, who resides in South Union Township.
Unlike GOP delegate candidates, Democrats must commit to a specific presidential candidate on the ballot.
Vicites, Davis and Deal have specified former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton as their supported candidate, while Cordaro lists Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders as the candidate he will support if elected delegate to the Philadelphia Democratic National Convention.
Cambria County delegate candidate Alexis Ann Waksmunski, Franklin County delegate Sheri Morgan and Fulton County delegate candidate Kathleen Hendricks will support Sanders at the convention. Blair County delegate candidate Gillian Kratzer and Greene County delegate Madeline R. Snyder have designated Clinton as their supported candidate, if elected.
The top two male vote-getters and top three female vote-getters in the April 26 primary will be named as the 9th Congressional District delegates to the July 25-28 Philadelphia convention.