Political party leaders expect low turnout for election
Fayette County voters will likely be sparse in number on Tuesday as most races were determined in the spring primary.
Larry Blosser, director of the county election bureau, said he anticipates larger turnouts for contested municipal races where there remain multiple candidates for school board director or mayoral or other local contests, but otherwise, turnout will be at about 30 percent.
“The county Court of Common Pleas judge race has already been decided, and there is only one name on the ballot in the magisterial district judge race,” he said. “The county row offices, too, were decided in the spring.”
County Republican Committee Chairman Russ Rhodes agreed that the turnout would be minimal.
“I wish we were better able to recruit Republicans to run and challenge the Democratic candidates,” said Rhodes. “However, that was not the case.”
Fred Lebder, county Democratic Party chairman, believes that the turmoil between Republicans and Democrats in Washington, D.C., will have an impact on voter turnout in Fayette County on Tuesday.
“Everyone is tired of the shenanigans, and both parties are to blame,” he said. “Everyone is just tired of it.”
Lebder said that he anticipates a less than 20 percent turnout for the general election.
“It is going to be a very slow day,” he said. “Most of the races have been decided.”
Voters in the Albert Gallatin, Connellsville, Frazier and Uniontown area school districts, meanwhile, will eliminate one or two candidates from their ballots to place four directors on the respective boards.
The candidates are permitted to run on both the Democratic and Republican ballots.
In the Albert Gallatin race, incumbent board members Kenneth J. Plisko and Edward F. Andria are seeking re-election while Michael F. Dunham, Doug Soltis and Terry Ryan are vying to become a member of the district panel.
Three incumbents and two political newcomers are seeking the four available seats on the Connellsville school board. Paul E. Means Jr., Gary L. Wandel and P.J. Carte are seeking retention while Jay Fox III and James Duncan are hoping to garner election support for the available positions.
Frazier district voters will cast ballots for incumbents Thomas E. Shetterly, Deborah Vargo Alekson and David Simmons along with Kevin Brown and Francy Angelo to determine who will serve on the board for the next four years.
Six candidates are vying for the four available positions on the Uniontown school board, including incumbents William Rittenhouse Jr., Thomas Bill Gerke, Phillip Holt and Lloyd Williams along with Terry L. Dawson and Don Rugola.
Blosser, meanwhile, said while some school board candidates may appear on both the Democratic and GOP ballot, voters can only cast one vote for that candidate.
“Although the voter may have four votes in a school board race, they can only vote for a candidate once,” he said.
The voting machine will notify the voter if that occurs, and changes can be made immediately, said Blosser. However, those completing paper ballots have to fill out a new ballot if theirs is found to be incorrectly marked.
“One candidate, one vote,” said Blosser.
Three boroughs — Brownsville, Dunbar and Newell — have contested mayoral races, according to the county election bureau.
In Brownsville, Democratic incumbent Lester Ward is being challenged by Republican candidate James S. Lawver.
Two candidates will vie in the Dunbar Borough race to replace current Mayor Patrick Fitzgerald, who is not seeking re-election. Republican Norman Gordon and Democrat John C. Williams will be the choices for borough voters in the general election.
In Newell Borough, incumbent Mayor Nicki M. Todaro, a Democrat, will be challenged by Republican Domenick L. Ottoviani Jr.
Connellsville city voters will select two people to fill available council positions. Incumbent Councilman Tom Karpiak, a Democrat, is being challenged by Independent candidate Johanna Harden and Aaron G. Zolbrod, a Republican candidate, who will also appear on the Democratic ballot after securing the second position on the party write-in ballot.
Democratic candidate Jared Billy will challenge incumbent Uniontown city Councilman Gary Gearing, a Republican, and Councilman Francis Joby Palumbo, a Democrat, for one of the two council positions in the election Tuesday.
In Newell Borough, four candidates are vying for three council seats, including Democrat incumbents John E. Matty III, John M. Snyder and Susan L. Snyder and Republican Kristopher B. Wilson.
South Connellsville Borough voters will choose four of six candidates to fill council posts. Democratic incumbents Jim Swink, Clyde E. Martz and Mark R. Ward will be challenged by Republican candidates Karen S. Hobrook and Kimberly S. Laws.
Six townships have contested races for one position on the respective board of supervisors.
In Bullskin Township, Republican Roy Thayer will square off against Democrat David Butler while in Franklin Township GOP candidate Ronald Allen will challenge Democratic candidate Timothy A. Kelly.
In Saltlick Township, incumbent Supervisor Greg Grimm, a Democrat, is being challenged by Republican candidate Gary R. Wilker for the six-year position.
Stewart Township incumbent Supervisor Mark F. Stephans, a Republican, will square off with Democratic challenger David Paul King, while Wharton Township incumbent Supervisor John Jack Lewis, a Democrat, will be challenged by Republican Charles Buzz Coddington Jr. for the board of supervisor’s position.
In Henry Clay Township, incumbent Supervisor Robert R. Fike, a Republican, will be challenged by Democratic candidate Mark Glover in the general election Tuesday.
Six incumbent tax collectors are being challenged for their respective positions, including Barbara Carroll in Brownsville Borough.
The Democratic incumbent is being challenged by Republican candidate Stella Broadwater.
In Bullskin Township, Democrat Louis Bell will be challenged by Republican candidate Kylie Stouffer Carleton while Republican Andrea D. Doppelheuer will square off against Democratic challenger Daralynn Dari Gilpin in the Connellsville Township tax collector race Tuesday.
Dunbar Township voters will choose between Democratic incumbent Marigrace Butela and Republican candidate Sheila J. Galliete to serve in the four-year position.
Republican candidate Mary Wilson will square off against Democratic incumbent Paul D. Harvey in the tax collector race in Jefferson Township while Democrat Jennifer Fike will challenge Republican incumbent Tina Dennis in the Wharton Township race.
Republican Bryan T. Raygor and Democrat Virginia Sherbondy will square off to fill the Everson Borough tax collector position formerly held by Shirley Eckman.
Barring a successful write-in campaign, attorneys Linda Cordaro and Joseph M. George Jr. will fill the two seats on the county Court of Common Pleas bench. The judicial seats became open with the retirement of now-Senior Judges Gerald R. Solomon and Ralph C. Warman.
Cordaro and George were the top vote-getters on both the Democratic and GOP ballots in the May primary.
Nina Capuzzi-Frankhouser garnered the Democratic nomination in the county prothonotary race to fill the remaining two-year term of former Prothonotary Lance Winterhalter, who earlier retired from the position. Capuzzi-Frankhouser will run unopposed in the election on Tuesday.
In a second row office contested race, Nancy Lee Wilson also captured the Democratic nomination in the May primary to become the lone candidate for the county treasurer position. Current Treasurer Robert F. “Bobby” Danko will retire at the end of the year.
Richard A. Kasunic II will be the only candidate on the ballot for the magisterial district judge race.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.