Letter to Editor

Michele Whitney
Lock Haven, PA

Judge Michael F. Salisbury’s April 2025 ruling disqualifying candidate Megan Houser from the Republican ballot for the Keystone Central School Board race was a justified response to her blatant misrepresentation. A registered Democrat since 2015, Houser violated Pennsylvania election laws by falsely claiming Republican affiliation to collect nomination signatures. This error, deemed fatal by the judge, barred her from the Republican ticket, though she remains on the Democratic ballot.

This issue surfaced after I alerted Region IX candidate Mary Kramer to errors in Houser’s petitions. In court, Houser admitted she never updated her voter registration from “Megan Bibey,” a minor issue overshadowed by her false claim of being a Republican in her March 10, 2025, filing. Worse, she enlisted School Board Vice-President Butch Knauff to circulate her Democratic petition while she posed as a GOP candidate, a maneuver that suggests calculated misrepresentation.

No one should buy claims of Houser as a victim. Her dishonesty undermines trust in Region IX, where over 2,300 voters in Renovo Borough, South Renovo Borough, Leidy, Chapman, Stewardson, Noyes, Grugan, and Gallagher townships deserve better from a school board candidate. This ruling promotes election integrity, but her actions cast doubt on her suitability for office. In the upcoming primary election, vote for a candidate who values truth over tricks. Region IX voters, your voice matters. On May 20th, reject Houser’s deception, and vote for Mary Kramer, who exposed this fraud in court and respects the rules to earn your trust.