City council race remained close late
Only 100 votes separated the three Democratic Party candidates seeking the nomination for two seats on Uniontown City Council as of press time Tuesday. With four of the seven wards reporting and 91 percent of the vote counted, challenger Marlin Sprouts Jr. had 416 votes, incumbent Bob Cerjanec had 331 and incumbent Blair R. Jones Sr. had 316, according to unofficial results.
No Republican candidates entered the primary race.
Jones and Cerjanec are both serving their second four-year terms on council.
Cerjanec is director of the accounts and finance department and Jones, a 50-year city police officer who retired as police chief, is director of the streets and public improvements and sewage departments.
Both said they work everyday and are proud of their record of accomplishments.
Cerjanec said he prepares the city’s budgets, directs the license office and heads the sewer and garbage bill collection office.
He is also the city’s purchasing agent and serves as acting mayor in the mayor’s absence.
During his tenure, Cerjanec said he upgraded the health and pension plans for all of the city’s unionized employees and negotiated contracts with all three labor unions without arbitration.
Jones said the street department paved 26 miles of alleys under his direction and resurfaces four or five streets a year.
He said the sewage department continues to work on the sewer separation project and conducts downspout inspections to make sure storm water is kept out of the sanitary sewer system.
Sprouts is in his last semester at California University of Pennsylvania, where he is majoring in education.
He said he decided to run for council after he brought a problem he had with a landlocked property to city hall and received no assistance.
During his campaign, Sprouts said he learned that some businesses are not happy with the enforcement of two-hour free parking on Main Street.
He said he believes parks need improvements, code enforcement needs to be stricter and the city needs more police officers.
In the city treasurer’s race, City Councilman Joseph N. Giachetti had 379 votes and deputy treasurer Charlanne C. Makarun had 291 in the Democratic primary with 91 percent of the vote counted.
Republican treasurer candidate Robert E. Jones Jr. was unopposed and received 129 votes.
Incumbent Democratic city controller John S. Cupp was unopposed in seeking the party nomination for his second four-year term. No Republican candidates entered the primary.