Clinton County Primary Election (Video Report)
Strouse Edges Ryan for Democrat DA Nod
LOCK HAVEN – The results are in and the pairings set for Clinton County’s November municipal election.
The Democratic nomination for District Attorney, the county’s most aggressively contested contest, saw current public defender Dave Strouse defeat assistant district attorney Paul Ryan. The results, with all 34 county precincts reporting, showed Strouse with 1,414 votes (52.2%) to Ryan’s 1,287 (47.5%).
It will be Strouse going against former DA Fred Lingle in November, Lingle unopposed for the GOP nomination.
November’s winner will replace interim district attorney Karen Kuebler who had agreed to accept the position for one year when former DA Michael Salisbury became a common pleas judge.
Democrats also determined who will face off in November against incumbent Republican county commissioners Pete Smeltz and Jeff Snyder. Incumbent Democrat Joel Long led his party’s ticket with 1,313 votes; he will be joined in November by former Castanea Township supervisor Paul Conklin who was second with 1,259 votes. Other Democratic totals were Vince Tarantella with 914 votes and Richard Morris with 879.
Smeltz received GOP 1,949 votes and Snyder 1,851. The top three vote getters in November will be the county’s three commissioners as of January 2016.
Two row office races saw uncontested primaries: Present county register and recorder Jennifer Hoy was unopposed for the GOP nomination while Jason Walker was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. It is the same situation in the race for a successor to retiring sheriff Chuck Ankney; Kerry Stover the only Democrat on the ballot and Ed Higgins the only Republican.
One row office incumbent, Marie Vilello, had no opposition for the Democratic nomination for a second term while no Republicans filed to challenge her in November.
Each party had two candidates up for the part-time positions of county auditor, including the three incumbents, Democrats Michelle Crowell and Robert Rooney and Republican Peggy Heller. Former auditor Rita O’Brien is the second candidate on the GOP ballot.
Crowell had 1,765 Democratic votes, Rooney 1,599. Heller had 1,774 GOP votes, O’Brien 1,564. As in the commissioners’ race, the top three vote-getters in November will be elected.
Local contested races included mayor of Lock Haven, three candidates seeking to replace Rick Vilello who recently resigned to join the Gov. Tom Wolf administration. Democratic council member Bill Baney edged fellow council member Steve Stevenson for that party’s nomination, the election night tally 218 for Baney and 210 for Stevenson. The tally is unofficial until the official count takes place later this week; absentee ballots also have to be counted. If the Tuesday night results hold, in November Baney will oppose councilman Rick Conklin who was unopposed on the Republican ballot.
There were two contested Keystone Central School Board races. Region Eight saw longtime board president Jack Peters lose his bid for another term in office. Lock Haven University technical specialist Boise Miller and former district administrator Jeff Johnston tied for the Democratic nomination and Johnston easily took the GOP nod. The Democratic nomination winner will be dependent on the absentee ballot count.
In Region Three incumbent Greg Strouse was challenged by Lynn Bechdel. Strouse, brother of the successful Democratic candidate for district attorney, was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. He took the GOP nomination by 11 votes over Bechdel, but the results from Liberty and Curtin Townships in Centre County were not available election night.
Board members Debra Smith and Charles Rosamilia were unopposed in their respective regions.
Two incumbent supervisors, both Democrats, were defeated election night. In Woodward Township Kyle Coleman polled 174 votes to incumbent Marie Selfe’s 97 and in Castanea Township board chairman Bonnie Poorman fell to Charles Clukey Jr. 69 to 37.
A sidebar on City of Lock Haven races saw Baney the apparent winner for the Democratic nomination for mayor, but he trailed council newcomer Sara Stringfellow in the race for city council. With three candidates to be nominated, Stringfellow had 315 votes, Baney 302 and acting mayor Jonathan Bravard 263.
Two Republicans were on the Tuesday ballot for city council; Douglas Byerly had 208 votes and sitting council member Machell Alexander-Bressler had 191.
The voter turnout county wide was 26 percent, 31 percent for Democrats, 29 percent for Republicans.
