May 20, 2009 3 min read

An appointed councilman and a challenger defeated four-term incumbent Gary K. Crozier and another challenger for the Democratic Party nominations for two seats on Uniontown City Council according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s primary election. The apparent Democratic nominees, appointed Councilman Francis “Joby” Palumbo III and challenger Gary Gearing will square off against Republican candidates Russ Rhodes and Curtis R. Sproul, who ran unopposed, for four-year terms on council in the municipal election in November. Palumbo was the top vote getter with 797 votes, or 38 percent of the total, followed by Gearing with 513 votes, or 24 percent, according to unofficial results.

Crozier was closed with 498 votes, or 23 percent, and challenger James L. Killinger trailed with 313 votes, or 15 percent, according to unofficial results.

Rhodes led the Republican ticket with 302 votes, 58 percent, and Sproul received 218, or 42 percent.

Crozier, a sales representative for Frank B. Fuhrer Wholesale of Pittsburgh, was the public safety director for 10 years before council appointed Marlin Sprouts to that post and named Crozier the director of parks and public property in January.

The move came a week before Mayor Ed Fike reported that former fire chief Myron Nypaver, Crozier’s son in law, received $10,000 in additional pay with no apparent approval from Council in 2006 and 2007. Nypaver was demoted to assistant chief.

In March, Sprouts resigned after being sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay restitution in a federal mortgage fraud case that also involved his daughter. He was charged in February 2008, a month after he was elected and appointed the director of accounts and finance.

Council appointed Philip J. Michael to serve the remainder of Sprouts’ term, which would have ended in 2011, but Michael resigned in April after Gearing sued him, claiming he was not qualified to hold the seat because he didn’t live in the city for a year before his appointment.

Then, council appointed Sproul to hold the office, but only until the November election.

Palumbo, a sixth grade teacher at Laurel Highlands Junior High School, was appointed in January 2008 to fill the seat vacated by Joseph Giachetti after he was elected treasurer. Initially, he was appointed as director of parks and public property, but was switched to the director of accounts and finance in April 2008 when Sprouts was removed from the post after he pleaded guilty in the mortgage fraud case.

Gearing, a former legislative candidate, owns the Fayette Building in downtown. He sued council over an apparent Sunshine Law violation that took place when a meeting, in which this year’s budget was adopted, was adjourned without giving the public an opportunity to comment.

Killinger is a retired commander of the state police barracks in Belle Vernon and a current member of the Fayette County zoning hearing board.

Russ Rhodes, who ran against Fike for mayor, Sproul ran unopposed for the two Republican Party nominations.