Incumbents, former commissioner win Greene County race
WAYNESBURG – Two incumbents and a member of a previous triune won the three contested seats on the Greene County board of commissioners Tuesday.
Returning to the board are Democrat Blair Zimmerman, who won his first full four-year term after his appointment to the board in 2012, and Republican Archie Trader, who won his third term. Joining them will be Democrat Dave Coder, who served as county commissioner from 1996 to 2010, before stepping away to become district director to former U.S. Rep. Mark Critz.
Unofficially, with all 44 county precincts reporting, Zimmerman had 4,329 votes; Trader, 3,690 votes and Coder captured the third seat with 3,672 votes. The fourth candidate, Republican Keith McClure, who made his first run for public office, finished with 3,075 votes.
Adding some intrigue to Tuesday’s election was a write-in campaign mounted by Commissioner Chuck Morris, who was defeated in the Democratic primary by Coder. After all the precincts had reported, there were 1,047 write-in votes tabulated in the commissioners’ race, but county election officials will not count those votes until the official canvass begins later this week.
Nonetheless, the write-ins will have no bearing on the outcome of the commissioner’s race as those votes do not count toward the totals received by a balloted candidate.
While Coder garnered enough votes to win the third seat, it was nip-and-tuck for much of the evening. After the first five precincts reported, Coder held a slim 19-vote lead over McClure for that final slot on the board. From that point on, however, Coder’s lead grew to 43 votes after nine precincts; 63 votes after 12; 194 after 16; 182 after 22, and when the 41st precinct reported, he had clinched that win with a 692-vote lead, ending up, unofficially, with a 597-vote cushion.
“I usually run close in the beginning but when the outlying areas come in, that’s when I seem to do well,” Coder said.
“And let me just say I am very excited for the opportunity to serve the people of Greene County and I appreciate their votes and confidence in me,” he said. “And, I am also looking forward to serving with Blair Zimmerman and Archie Trader.”
Trader, meanwhile, said he was very happy with the results and just as happy the election is finally over. “I can’t express show pleased I am with today’s outcome,” he said. “And I can’t remember when a Republican won three consecutive terms in Greene County.”
Zimmerman could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.