Municipal Election 2021: New mayors in Renovo, Beech Creek Borough

LOCK HAVEN, PA – As anticipated, Clinton County’s municipal election was a quiet one on Tuesday, just under 31 percent of the county’s some 21-thousand registered voters turning out.

There were but two countywide row offices on the ballot and the incumbents were unchallenged. Treasurer Michelle Kunes finished with 5,679 votes in the unofficial election night tally and Coroner Zach Hanna accumulated 5,956 votes as each won their third terms in office.

Two incumbent mayors went down to defeat.

In Beech Creek incumbent Mayor Melvin Coakley lost to James Walker by a 94-29 margin. Coakley had lost to former mayor Justin Kline in the spring Democratic primary but Kline passed away over the summer and Coakley was returned to his party’s ballot by the party committee. Walker had been appointed to fill the GOP ballot vacancy, replacing Kline who had also secured the GOP nomination in the spring.

In Renovo two-term Mayor Tommy Tarantella Jr. fell to Bucktail High School boys’ basketball coach Gene Bruno, the final score Bruno 124, Tarantella 86. Renovo also had a borough council race where Renovo Energy Center opponent Maureen Ruhl sought one of the four seats on the ballot, the other three ballot candidates all incumbents who favored the project. The election night tally showed the incumbents on top: William Fornwalt III with 135, Rhonda Balchun 129, council president Ann Tarantella with 120 and then Ruhl with 84 votes. There also were 118 write-ins, that tabulation not available Tuesday night. Sitting council member Pattie Rauch, an REC supporter, had recently announced a write-in campaign to retain her seat. The likely fourth council member will have to wait until the write-in tally is completed.

Lock Haven City Council saw a sitting council member defeated. That would be appointed member Alex DiCostanzo. There were four candidates for three 4-year terms on council and three incumbents were successful in independent Rick Conklin with 563 votes, Barbara Masorti with 501 and Steve Stevenson with 438. DiCostanzo finished with 306 votes.

The city also saw a 3-way race for one 2-year term on council. Jeff Brinker took that seat with 371 votes, followed by Conklin (on the ballot twice) with 239 votes and Brandon Ranck with 231 votes.

Mill Hall had a 4-way contest for three borough council seats. The results: Kayla Hoy 155, Karen Houser 151, Derek Caris 132 and John Hefferon 103. Loganton Mayor Dave Shreckengast was returned for another term with 107 votes to 31 for James Jordan.

One longtime supervisor was defeated on Tuesday. That was in Pine Creek Township where Dennis Greenaway lost by a 405 to 295 margin to Kenneth Packard.

Other contested supervisor race results in the unofficial tally:

Woodward Township: Kyle Coleman 391, Brenda Dunlap 223

Wayne Township – 6 years: David Calhoun 186, Tom Duran 152

Wayne Township  – 2 years: Terry Condo (unopposed) 292

Lamar Township: Dan Chappell 322, Martin Salinas 156

Dunnstable Township: William White 141, Robert Mann 132

Noyes Township: Kimberly Kelley 73, Dennis Gentzyel 24

The county’s official count will begin on Friday, Nov. 5. The complete unofficial county results are available on the county website.