Cordaro and George secure nominations
Linda Cordaro (right), candidate for Fayette County Court of Common Pleas judge, and her daughter Carly Cordaro greet voters at South Union Township voting place at Laurel Highlands Middle School Tuesday morning.
Ed Cope
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Magisterial District Judge Joseph M. George Jr., candidate for Fayette County Court of Common Pleas judge, meets with voters outside the Laurel Highlands Middle School in South Union Township Tuesday. afternoon.
Jack Purcell, candidate for Fayette County Court of Common Pleas Judge, meets with voter Tuesday afternoon at the South Union Township voting place, Laurel Highlands Middle School.
The race to November’s general election has likely just gotten a little easier for two candidates seeking the two open seats on Fayette County’s Court of Common Pleas.
With With 100 percent of precincts reporting, unofficial results indicate Assistant District Attorney Linda Cordaro and Magisterial District Judge Joseph M. George have secured Democratic and Republican nominations in the primary and will go on to be the only two candidates on the ballot in November’s general election.
All of the results are unofficial until the Fayette County Election Bureau certifies them, which includes counting absentee ballots.
All five judicial candidates cross-filed and appeared on both tickets. Having each secured the top two spots on both tickets, George and Cordaro are virtually assured to win in the general election.
Cordaro secured 7,334 votes from Democrats and 2,293 from Republicans, earning 30 percent of votes on each ticket. If she wins the general election, Cordaro will be the second female elected judge in the county. Judge Nancy D. Vernon is the first.
“I am overwhelmed and very grateful for the immense amount of support over the past several months,” Cordaro said. “I am looking forward to the honor of serving Fayette County on what is already a fine bench.”
George garnered 7,087 votes from Democrats, or 29 percent, and 1,967 Republican votes, or 25 percent. George has been serving as a district justice for South Union Township since 2005. Before that, he spent six years prosecuting cases in the District Attorney’s office.
“I want to thank my family, friends and supporters for making this possible,” George said. “I’m very proud of the campaign we ran and I’m looking forward to serving on Fayette County’s Common Pleas bench.”
The two open seats became vacant following the early retirement of Judge Ralph C. Warman in July and Judge Gerald R. Solomon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 at the end of last year. Both men continue to serve as senior judges.
Jack M. Purcell of Wharton Township, who is an attorney at the Uniontown law firm Davis & Davis and also serves as solicitor for several school boards and municipalities, received the third highest amount of Democratic and Republican votes, earning 5,139 and 1,421 votes, respectively.
Assistant District Attorney Douglas S. Sepic of South Union Township, who is also a partner in the law firm of Watson, Mundorff, Brooks and Sepic, located in Connellsville, was fourth favorite among both Democrats and Republicans. Sepic received 3,873, or 16 percent, of Democratic votes and 1,158, or 15 percent of Republican votes.
Attorney Steven Walton, who lives with his family in Menallen Township and practices law with the Pittsburgh law firm of Rothman & Gordon mainly in Allegheny and surrounding counties, made his strongest showing among members of his own party, garnering 926 Republican votes, or 12 percent. Democrats cast 886 votes, or 4 percent, for Walton, the fewest amount of Democratic votes of all the candidates.