Down River

By John Lipez

May 16 Approaches:
Just like that, the sign-up period is over and the candidate field set for Clinton County’s every-four-year municipal election cycle, the one where we get to elect, ultimately in November, three county commissioners who get to administer the county for the next four years.

Yes, it’s an old, outdated Civil War era election mechanism, one where only candidates from the two parties can get their names on the spring ballot. The whole thing is not unlike those senior class officer elections back in our high school days. Instead of putting our signs up in the high school hallways, we place them adjacent to busy intersections.

The top two finishers from each of the two parties in May will have their names on the November ballot; top three vote-getters in November get to run the county from 2024 to 2027.

This year is unusual on the county commissioner level in that the Democratic Party saw only one candidate, incumbent Angela Harding, submit nominating petitions for a second term. Meanwhile four Republicans have filed for the two GOP nominations.

They are incumbent commissioner Jeff Snyder, Lock Haven city council member Doug Byerly, retired businessman Jim Russo and Clinton County Watchdog emissary Michele Whitney. No surprises there, except maybe Russo’s entry; a proud descendent of his Little Italee, Chapman Township roots, Russo was an eleventh-hour entrant into the GOP field, likely causing at the very least a double-take from a couple of his primary adversaries.

Earlier this month the county hosted the drawing of the lots to determine the ballot position for the four. By the luck of the draw, Whitney ended up number one, Byerly number two, followed by Russo and then Snyder. When the final votes from West Keating Township come in to the Piper Building on the night of May 16 and those votes added up, you can book the primary outcome will be in a different order from the listing on the ballot; what the final pecking order will be is TBD, but it won’t be Whitney, Byerly, Russo, Snyder.

What do you make of the fact that only Harding signed up on the Democratic side? Can’t remember that ever happening before. That unusual circumstance has led to some conjecture that maybe one of the Republican candidates might try to corral enough write-in votes on the Democratic side to snare one of that party’s two nominations and get him or her on the November ballot, no matter how he or she does on the Republican side.

The Down River moles have not been able to pin down that one but keep your ears out.

As explained to Down River, if a non-Democrat wants to claim one of that party’s nominations in May, he or she has to do it on the write-in rout; that is an amount equal to the number of petition signatures to get on the ballot for commissioner (in this case 100) and more votes than anyone else running a write-in campaign. Can it be done? Yes, but logistically it would be difficult, one would think.

Here’s what happened in the spring primary back in 2019: on the Democratic side, but two candidates, Harding, in her first political try, with 1,766 votes and then-incumbent Paul Conklin with 1,727; on the GOP side, Snyder with 2,203 votes, soon-to-be-retired Miles Kessinger with 1,703, Whitney with 1,627 and Mitch Christensen with 800.

And you, prospective Clinton County voter, if you’re not already signed up, have until May 1 to register to vote in the May 16 local municipal races, but only if you sign up as a Democrat or Republican; all others, you’re out of luck until November.

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Some Explaining to Do:
Did you see the story earlier this week, the one about DuBois City Manager Herm Suplizio and his arrest for allegedly bilking the city of DuBois, the DuBois Area United Way and the DuBois Volunteer Fire Department out of some $620,000?

Charges came down on Monday from the office of the state attorney general. The allegations are he used the money for credit card payments, political donations and to gamble. He is free on $100,000 bail awaiting further court action.

You may or may not recall, Suplizio was one of three GOP candidates just about three years ago, seeking to replace then state Sen. Joe Scarnatti. Suplizio, 62, ending up losing the primary to Cris Dush, who then went on to win the senate seat (Dush continues as Clinton County’s state senator today).

Interestingly, Down River had heard reports as long as three years ago there were questions about Suplizio and his financial dealings. Three years later, he has some explaining to do.