Contests liven local elections / By Martha Knight

The Municipal Election coming up Tuesday, November 5 offers voters more options than in some recent years, with contests for school district, borough and township offices.

At the state level the only choice will be between Republican Vic Stabile, Republican, and Jack McVay Jr., Democrat, for a Judge of Superior court seat.

County “row offices” to be filled are those of sheriff, prothonotary/clerk of courts, controller and treasurer.

All those were pretty much settled in the Primary, with sheriff Brad Mason, prothonotary Bonnie Moore, controller Tom Ball and acting treasurer Mary Jo Sherwood receiving Republican nominations. No Democrats filed.

The Port Allegany School Board has four trusteeships up for election this year, and five candidates seeking them.

An active primary whittled the field to five, eliminating three others who had filed for nominations.

School directors are elected at large in the Port Allegany School District, which includes port Allegany Borough, Liberty Township and Annin Township in McKean County and Roulette and Pleasant Valley Townships in Potter County. Voters may vote for any four of the five candidates. Terms are four years in length.

Candidates who cross-filed and won both primaries will appear on both the Republican and Democratic voter arrays. They are Incumbent David Mensch, currently board president; incumbent Rodney W. Howard, and first time seeker of public office Mark P. Carlson.

Incumbent and vice-president Denise Herger Buchanan filed for and received a Republican nomination, and Kaci L. Daniels filed for and received a nomination from the Democratic Party..

In Liberty Township an incumbent township supervisor seeks to retain his seat, while a former supervisor tries to oust him and return to the Board of Supervisors.

Democrat Charles Safford won the Democratic primary and Fred W. Ernst III won the Republican endorsement.

Ernst filed for a nomination to succeed himself two years ago, but withdrew from the race. Bruce Klein mounted a write-in campaign and won. Ernst, who had been a road crew worker for the township, continued as a laborer until this past spring. While on the board of supervisors, he often had disagreed with fellow supervisors Gary Turner and Safford, particularly on matters involving then and former roadmaster Jim Boorum.

Terms of township supervisors, like those of U.S. Senators, are six years long. One supervisor is elected every two years.

Sandra Kinney is unopposed for reelection as tax collector. Betty Lou Stebbins has no opponent as she seeks to continue as Democratic inspector of elections.

No one filed for positions of auditor (a six-year and a two-year position being available) nor for constable (two years). Also lacking candidates is a judge of election post.

Port Allegany Borough voters will elect a mayor and four borough council members. Also on the ballots are the tax collector post and some election officials.

George R. Riley, a Republican, is the sole nominee for mayor. It is his first foray into elective office seeking. Mayor Donald Carley did not seek another term.

Four incumbents, all Republicans, seek to continue on the seven-member council. They are current council president Andrew M. Johnson, Francis “Sam” Dynda, Judith A. Taylor and David A. Fair.

Former council member Lewis Duell a Democrat, seeks to return to the council.

Patricia Payne, a Republican, has filed for another term as tax collector.

In District 1 (the south portion of the borough), Loraine E. Bova, a Republican seeks another term as judge of election, and Democrat Becky Mingo filed to continue as an inspector of election.

In District 2 (the northern portion of the borough), Shirley Johnson, a Republican hopes to continue as judge of election.

Ann Lewis, a Republican, and Felicia Culver, a Democrat, seek inspector of election positions. Each voter may vote for one, but both will be elected: the one with more votes will become the “majority” inspector, and the other will be the “minority” inspector.

The way inspector positions are filled is one of the quirks in Pennsylvania election law. The theory is that this way, both major parties will have representation on the board of elections for each district.

All terms are four years in length, except for a constable position, two years, which drew no candidates.