Results are in: Zimmerman, Trader, Coder win commissioners’ race
WAYNESBURG — Leading the ticket in both the Democratic primary and general election for Greene County commissioner was not what Blair Zimmerman set out to do.
But that is what the former coal miner and mayor of Waynesburg Borough did, and that begs the question: Has Zimmerman become the new face of the Democratic Party in Greene County?
“I don’t know. Maybe I am too humble or naïve but all I wanted to do was win one of the three seats on the board of commissioners,” he said Wednesday while reflecting on his victory the day before. “I love this job. I like helping people with issues and problems and I like making a difference.”
Zimmerman, who won his first full four-year term after his appointment to the board in 2012, was somewhat reluctant to accept the fact he very well may be the standard bearer for the majority party in the county. Yet at the same time he dismissed the idea of being a “power broker,” a designation, he said, that carries a negative connotation.
“I am not a power broker; I am a person who cares and I feel good about that,” he said.
Come January, Zimmerman most likely will be named chairman of the board of commissioners. “That won’t change the way I approach my job, but being chairman may allow me to take the lead on certain issues and projects, allowing me to have the potential to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Greene County.”
Joining Zimmerman on the board of commissioners will be Republican incumbent Archie Trader, who won his third term, and 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.
The unofficial vote totals from all 44 county precincts, including absentee ballots, had Zimmerman with 4,476 votes; Trader with 3,838 votes and Coder with 3,789 votes. The fourth candidate, Republican Keith McClure, who made his first run for public office, finished with 3,194 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 1,064 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 595-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 how pleased I am with today’s outcome,” he said. “And I can’t remember when a Republican won three consecutive terms in Greene County.”