Black candidate has shot at seat on city council
Uniontown may have an elected black City Council member for the first time in the city’s history, or at least in recent memory, if Marlin Sprouts Jr. follows up his victory in Tuesday’s primary with a win in the general election in November. Sprouts was the top vote getter in the primary, defeating two-term incumbent Bob Cerjanec for one of the two Democratic nominations.
Sprouts received 709 votes, two-term incumbent Blair R. Jones Sr. won re-nomination with 685 votes and Cerjanec received 671, according to unofficial results.
With no Republican candidates in the primary, Sprouts and Jones are almost assured of victory in the general election.
The late Earl “Ozzie” Minor, who was black, was appointed to replace Charlie Ellis who died before his term expired in 1997.
Sprouts is in the final semester at California University of Pennsylvania, where he is majoring in education. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
As the accounts and finance department, Cerjanec prepares the city’s annual budgets and negotiated labor contacts with the three unions representing city employees.
Jones was a city police officer for 50 years and retired as police chief.
He currently heads the street and sewage departments. He said he hopes to remain in charge of those departments if he wins in November.
“I like what I’m doing and I still feel I can do it,” Jones said. “I appreciate the people putting me back in. It showed I must be doing something right.”
If Sprouts wins a four-year seat on council, he could be one of several new faces in City Hall next year.
There will be a new mayor as challenger Ed Fike defeated three-term incumbent James R. Sileo for the Democratic Party nomination. Fike will face Republican candidate Russell Rhodes in the general election in November.
Councilman Joseph N. Giachetti defeated deputy treasurer Charlanne C. Makarun for the Democratic nomination for a four-year term treasurer.
Current treasurer Susan Maher is retiring at the end of the year after holding the position for 26 years.
In November, Giachetti will face Robert E. Jones Jr., a former councilman, mayor and Fayette County commissioner who was unopposed in winning the Republican nomination.
If Giachetti wins, the mayor and council will have the opportunity to appoint someone to take his council seat until the next election, according to the state’s Third-Class City Code.
However, if a three-vote majority is not be obtained within 30 days of the day the vacancy was created, Fayette County Common Pleas Court would appoint Giachetti’s replacement.
In addition, incumbent Democratic city controller John S. Cupp won the nomination for his second four-year term with 1,069 votes. He was unopposed and no Republican candidates entered the race.