Gearing captures primary victory
Uniontown City Council candidate Gary Gearing won the Democratic nomination over four-term incumbent Gary K. Crozier by a narrow 11-vote margin, according to complete, but still unofficial results from the May 19 primary. All the votes including write-ins, absentee ballots, military ballots and ballots that weren’t scanned in the day of the primary have been counted, but the outcome won’t be official until the election judges sign the results twice. Fayette County Election Bureau Director Laurie Lint said the first signing could take place Friday and the second would take place five days later.
Crozier conceded the primary and congratulated Gearing at Tuesday’s council meeting.
“It’s been a great ride,” Crozier said.
Gearing attended the meeting, but left before Crozier talked about the election. Gearing couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.
Gearing received 534 votes and Crozier received 523, according to the unofficial results.
Appointed incumbent Francis “Joby” Palumbo was the top Democratic vote getter with 818 votes.
Democratic candidate James L. Killinger received 325 votes, which was not enough to win a nomination.
Palumbo, Gearing and Republican candidates Russ Rhodes and Curtis R. Sproul will compete for two four-year terms on council in the general election in November.
Rhodes, a former mayoral candidate, received 314 votes and Sproul, who is serving an appointment to fill a vacancy until the November election, received 227 votes, according to the unofficial results. They were the only Republican candidates.
In the Albert Gallatin School Board race, six candidates will compete in the November election for four four-year terms.
Edward F. Andria and Ed Sutton were the top vote getters in both parties. Andria received 2,113 Democratic votes and 325 Republican votes, and Sutton received 1,786 Democratic votes and 296 Republican votes, according to unofficial results.
On the Democratic ticket, Kenneth J. Plisko finished third with 1,706 votes and Bill Boni finished fourth with 1,639 votes, according to unofficial results. Plisko cross-filed, but his 235 Republican votes were not enough to win a nomination from that party. Boni did not cross-file.
On the Republican side, Terry Ryan finished third with 249 votes and Ryan Geary Sr. finished fourth with 240 votes, according to unofficial results. Both cross-filed, but didn’t win Democratic nominations. Ryan received 1,459 Democratic votes and Geary received 1,107 Democratic votes
In the Fairchance Borough Council race, four Democratic candidates will run for four four-year terms in the November election.
Former councilman Neal D. Christopher received 331 votes, challenger Robert F. Ellsworth finished second with 318, challenger Jimmy McDonough was third with 292 votes and incumbent Vicki Tate finished fourth with 123 votes, according to unofficial results.
Incumbents Herb Myers, the current council president, and Raymond C. Eicher did not win nominations. Eicher received 118 votes and Myers received 107, according to unofficial results.
Incumbent Richard Pukl did not enter the primary.
Appointed Democratic incumbent Mayor Thomas L. Tanner defeated his predecessor Benjamin Eicher for the nomination.
In the Masontown mayoral race, incumbent Democrat Tom Loukota won the nomination with 245 votes over challengers Toni Petrus, who received 237 votes, and Carole Daniels, who received 182 votes. No Republican candidates entered the race.
In the tight race for four four-year terms on Vanderbilt Borough Council, Duane Lee King received 58 votes; Thomas E. Sankovich received 46, Sheila Kurtz received 42 and Betty J. Keffer received 41. Candidate Dennis E. Lowe received 36 votes and did not win a nomination. All of the candidates are Democrats. No Republican candidates entered the race.