GOP on rise here
For generations, local elections in Fayette County followed the same pattern. There would be a dogfight in the Democratic Party primary with the survivor coasting to an easy victory in the fall election. Republicans usually offered token resistance if any at all.
But all that changed in this past week’s election.
The Republican Party fielded strong candidates all across the board and ended up winning more than its fair share of elections.
Consider, first and foremost the race for a seat on the Fayette County Court. Both Nancy Vernon and Ernest P. DeHaas III had cross-filed in the spring primary with Vernon winning the Democratic Primary by an 11,992-7,024 margin and DeHaas prevailing in the GOP race 2,750-2,435.
Combining both tickets Vernon had a 4,653 margin which seemed insurmountable for DeHaas going into the fall rematch. But against all the odds, DeHaas almost pulled off the upset of the century, coming within 2,195 votes of beating Vernon for the fifth seat on the Fayette County bench.
It was a strong showing, one of the best by a Republican in quite a number of years, especially considering that Democrats have a 3-1 registration edge countywide over the GOP.
But it was far from the only strong showing by a Republican Tuesday. There were five contested mayoral races in Dunbar, Masontown, Ohiopyle, Vanderbilt and Brownsville and Republicans won four of them. The only one the Republicans lost was in Brownsville where Lester Ward, running as an Independent, defeated Democratic incumbent Lewis W. Hosler 349-348.
Republicans also did well in a couple of school board races. Candidates can cross-file in those races and those who win the nominations of both parties usually do well in the general elections. Candidates nominated only by Democrats also usually do very well against those who only have the Republican bid. That was the case in races for both the Albert Gallatin and Laurel Highlands school boards.
But it was a different matter in the Uniontown Area School District where Republicans Tom McCracken and Lloyd Williams defeated two Democrats. It was a similar story in the Connellsville Area School District where P.J. Carte, running as a Republican, defeated a Democrat for the fourth and final seat on the board.
Democrats did better in races for township supervisor, picking up wins in three of six contested races. But the Republicans still won three races in Connellsville, Henry Clay and Franklin townships.
Republicans also won three of four seats for council in Ohiopyle and a seat in Smithfield. Democrats did capture all three council seats up for grabs in both Brownsville and Uniontown but the situation in the city was very interesting.
Uniontown has always run counter to the rest of the county in the political world. For years and years, the city was controlled by Republicans while the rest of the county was dominated by Democrats. So it only seems natural that as soon as the Republicans picked up wins across the county, the Democrats took firm control of politics in Uniontown.
It’s also interesting that the Democrats who won the two four-year seats have absolutely nothing in common. Francis Joby Palumbo III, the top vote-getter with 929 tallies, has been Mayor Ed Fike’s strongest supporter on council while Gary Gearing, who won his seat with 923 votes, has long been one of the mayor’s most outspoken critics.
It’s incredible to think that some people actually voted for both of them, but that apparently happened.
If there was any doubt, though, about which party was in charge of the city’s politics, it was sealed with Democrat Phil Michael’s win over Republican Gary Altman in a special election for a two-year seat by a 909-797 margin.
Still overall it was the best showing by the Republican Party in quite some time. And while it could be part of a national tide turning against the Democratic Party, it was more likely the result of people looking to vote for the person instead of the ticket. And that’s certainly a good thing for Fayette County.
Let’s hope that the days of Fayette County residents just blindly voting for Democratic Party candidates are a thing of the past. By considering both Democrats and Republicans equally and voting for them on their own merits, we’re sure to get better government.
It should also lead to a stronger Republican Party, which can only help Fayette County both on the state and national levels. For far too long, Fayette County has been overlooked because Democrats took us for granted and Republicans thought the situation was hopeless.
However, all of that won’t matter one iota, though, if more people don’t come out and vote. The turnout at the polls Tuesday was approximately 25 percent, which was abysmal, especially for the number of contested races on the ballot.
It’s especially disconcerting to realize how few people are actually involved in electing our local officials. Consider that the race for the Fayette County judgeship was the biggest race on the ballot and it only drew 23,671 of the 91,430 voters eligible to cast ballots. Consider also that the 12,933 people who voted for Vernon make up less than 10 percent of the county’s population, which was 148,644, according to the county’s 2000 census.
It’s clear that the Republican Party did its part in the past election by fielding stronger candidates, but there’s no doubt that more people have to become involved in the election process . All the complaining in the world won’t change anything. The only way for your voice to be truly heard is through the ballot.