Wednesday, November 05, 2003

Republicans captured Carnegie council's majority for the first time in decades, a Coraopolis woman who pleaded for voters not to support her candidacy for the Cornell school board was elected, and a former Sto-Rox High School teacher lost a school board race to one of her former students, according to unofficial results of Tuesday's balloting.

Also, many new faces were elected to borough councils, township boards, a judicial seat and school board posts at the expense of well-known incumbents.

Here are highlights of those and other West municipal, district justice and school board races:

Carnegie
With four votes separating the top three candidates, Democratic incumbent Larry Harkovich and Republican newcomer Cynthia Lum won 1st Ward council seats. Lum beat incumbent Democrat Tom Snyder by one vote, 508 to 507. Republican challenger Toni Brannan also lost.

The victory by Lum, along with Republican Dorothy Kelly's upset of Democratic incumbent Emmett Freshwater in the 2nd Ward, means that Republicans will comprise the council majority for the first time in decades. Lum and Kelly will join Republicans Jennifer Prion and Tim Volk on the six-member council.

Freshwater had plenty to say about the election in a town always regarded as a Democratic stronghold.

"The surprising thing is that Democrats won big in Allegheny County except for Carnegie."

Freshwater, who was seeking his fourth council term, said the local election was "the most vicious and hate-filled campaign that I've ever been involved in."

Lum, a freelance writer, took a different view.

"The Carnegie voter is a very, very smart entity and they felt a change was in order. We're being given a chance."

The new council hopes to reach out more to the public, she said.

Lum and other Republican supporters credited election victories to a lot of door-knocking and hard work by the nonpartisan Concerned Citizens and Taxpayers of Carnegie, which distributed literature about the current council's voting record and state of affairs in the borough.

"I truly believe that our fliers enlightened a lot of people. They didn't know what was going on," said Joyce Mostowy, the group's leader and organizer. "This is the first time in Carnegie that three different political parties worked to support the best candidates."

She added that the watchdog group would continue to monitor activities of the new council.

Kelly, a registered pharmacist and former chemistry teacher and Carlynton school director, was unavailable for comment.

-- Carole Gilbert Brown

Chartiers Valley school board
Democrat Jeff Choura, who was forced to run as an Independent, lost his bid for an eighth term. He finished last among six candidates seeking five seats.

Choura missed the deadline for filing his local ethics statement with the school district, so he was not on the primary ballot.

The winners were Jeff Hilty, Patti Frey, Patti Figorski, Tony Moses and Mary Lou Petronsky.

Hilty, a Republican, and Moses, a Democrat, are newcomers to the board. Incumbent Frey is a Republican while incumbents Figorski and Petronsky are Democrats.

Though saddened about losing, Choura said he wasn't sorry for the effort, which included erecting 180 large signs throughout the district.

"I wanted to make sure that the taxpayers of Chartiers Valley had a choice," he said. "It has been an honor and a privilege to serve. I love the kids and this school district."

Coraopolis District Justice

Republican Mary Murray, 33, of Moon, is the new district justice for Coraopolis, Crescent and Moon.

A lawyer with the Perrysville firm Withrel & Kovacik, Murray defeated Democrat Barbara Casasanta.

Although Democrats had the registration edge in the race, Murray said she felt "a lot of hard work" led to her victory.

"I sat down with a few people, both Democrat and Republican, who had run campaigns in the past, and we knew that to overcome Barbara Casasanta's name recognition, I had to get my name out," Murray said.

"We put together a strategy that involved TV, phone calls, mailings and door-to-door" campaigning, she said. "The two things that were the best were the door-to-door and the TV ads. I went door to door almost every day in October. A lot of people were very receptive to the fact that I was an attorney and that I had legal experience."

Murray plans to leave Witherel & Kovacik, where she worked on criminal and municipal cases, real estate, personal injury, estate and corporate matters.

"I cannot work at the firm because there would be a conflict with the criminal and municipal practice. It's prohibited by the district justice rules," she said.

Several experiences led the Duquesne University law school graduate to run for public office. She said a visit to one of her law classes by a longtime district justice who was uninformed on simple procedural issues was an eye-opener. "It concerns me," she said.

Her position working for a judge gave her a chance "to see first hand how cases were decided" and interested her in making court decisions.

Shirley Trkula, 69, who has been district justice since 1991, when she replaced Walter Casasanta, Barbara Casasanta's father, did not seek re-election because of a mandatory retirement age of 70.

Barbara Casasanta did not return telephone calls placed to her home.

-- Grace Rishell

Cornell school board
Despite pleas for voters not to elect her, Coraopolis resident Darlene Abbott won a four-year seat. She finished fourth among six candidates.

Before the election, Abbott said new work commitments would not allow her to fulfill the obligations of serving as a school director. She asked voters not to elect her.

Abbott joined Belinda Bunting Miller, Karen Murphy, Linda Faherty and Cynthia Henley in winning the five four-year terms.

Curtis Deitrick, a political newcomer who ran as a Republican, finished sixth. Deitrick said if Abbott declined her seat, he would be interested in serving.

Also, Carl Hayman Jr. was elected to serve a two-year term.

-- Lynn Shea

Crafton
Former Republican Mayor Edward Stewart was successful in his first bid to be elected to council, defeating Democrat and Carlynton school Director Linda Breeden to a 3rd Ward seat held by Heidi Munn, who did not seek re-election.

Stewart, 74, said, "I believe that I have something positive to offer, and I definitely believe that we have to get borough government back on track for the betterment of our community."

Stewart served as mayor for 16 years before his 1999 loss to Ivan Hull.

It was a Democratic sweep in the 1st Ward. Republican Councilman Kenneth Arbuckle and Edward Doherty Jr. lost to Democrats Dan Cindric, who was elected to a second four-year term, and newcomer Nancy Koerbel.

In the 2nd Ward, Democrat Bonnie Amendola defeated local developer Matt Greiner.

-- Jim McMahon

Crescent
Democrat Wilbur McCutcheon, who has been an at-large commissioner for 34 years, was upset by local businessman Bill Cook.

Incumbent David Hays was re-elected to a four-year at-large term.

Democrat James Withee was re-elected to a four-year term in the 1st Ward.

Findlay
Supervisor Chairman Thomas Gallant retained his seat after defeating Democrat Lawrence "Buzz" Bolind.

"It was a close race and if Imperial Pointe wouldn't have come out with the numbers that they did, I would have lost," Gallant said. He said he had lost in Imperial during his last effort six years ago, but managed to squeak by Bolind in his home precinct by six votes.

At times during the campaign, Gallant said he felt as if he was running against two challengers -- Bolind and his wife, Anne, who was elected to the West Allegheny school board. The couple campaigned for each other in addition to running individual campaigns.

"We worked as hard as possible on this campaign because I never took Bolind or his wife for granted," Gallant said. "They are both from this area, along with their families. They have a lot of friends and a lot of contacts, so I knew I was up against a strong opponent."

Gallant said he wanted to stay on the board so he could see several projects through to completion, such as the new sports and recreation complex on Route 30 and the sewage lines extension to the area of the Findlay Connector, while controlling economic growth to ensure it doesn't encroach on the residents of the township.

"My plans are still the same -- to stay the course with slow, controlled development to bring Findlay to the 21st century while allowing it to stay the same, a small town community," Gallant said.

-- Cheryl Cherico

Montour school board

Kennedy resident and Region 3 incumbent Patricia Kaufman defeated Michelle Bittner for a two-year term by 40 votes. Kaufman, a Democrat, had been appointed to the board early this year.

The Montour Taxpayers Organization strongly supported Bittner. Group members spent much of Sunday afternoon visiting voters' homes in the township and campaigning for Bittner. They do not, however, consider her loss a defeat to their group and its efforts.

"This election is really a victory for the parents and taxpayers of Montour," said Joan Sakai, explaining that the other five winners in this election were candidates whom the active political group supported.

Kaufman could not be reached for comment.

Incumbent Charlie Snowden and newcomer Patricia Lee were elected in Region 1. Newcomers Joseph Sanko, Deborah Carr and Lawrence Tomei were elected in Region 2.

-- Lynn Shea

Moon
Republican Marvin Eicher cruised to an easy victory over Democrat Catherine Farley, a bright spot on an otherwise gloomy Tuesday night for the Moon GOP

Surrounded by a legion of supporters, friends and family wearing "Eicher for Supervisor" T-shirts at Viola's restaurant, the ecstatic supervisor-elect said he looked forward to the job of filling the seat of Democrat Sean McCurdy, who steps down after six years on the board, but added that it would be a great challenge.

"The easy part is behind, the hard work is ahead," Eicher, an engineer, said.

That hard work includes two of the key issues facing Eicher and the board -- the township's proposed master plan for the University Boulevard corridor, which seeks to better facilitate traffic along the heavily traveled road, while encouraging a mixture of business and residential growth.

Also, the proposed construction of a community recreation center, which could include an indoor swimming pool and other fitness facilities, is certain to be a hot-button issue.

Both topics were addressed at special public meetings held by the board in the past month.

"I said before the election, when it comes to University Boulevard and the community center, that these are both great assets. The question is, can we afford to do it?" Eicher said.

"We need to have a progressive community, but we also need to live within our means."

-- Dan Gigler

Moon school board
It was stuffy in the bar at Viola's restaurant, where Moon GOP members gathered Tuesday night, and downright hot in the game room of school board member Peggy Bell, where Democrats ate pizza and swigged Pepsi and Iron City -- fitting climates for the candidates of each party to sweat out the results of a heated and sometimes nasty election for five seats on the Moon Area school board.

When the night ended, the Democrats came out as the clear winners, taking four of the five available seats and a 5-4 majority on the board. Incumbent Peggy Bell was the top vote-getter, followed by incumbents Mark Scappe and Mary Tobin. Republican Barb Nolfi finished fourth, followed by Democratic newcomer Lisa Wolowicz.

Cheers erupted in Bell's basement when numbers from the final polling location came in just after 11 p.m., putting the Democratic slate over the top.

Though excited, the candidates were visibly drained after the results were announced.

"I'm dizzy. It hasn't set in yet," said the normally loquacious Wolowicz, who was at a loss for words.

A relieved Scappe spoke for members of his party on the race.

"We knew it was going to be a hard battle. A lot of issues were being misconstrued. ... We tried to stay focused and honest," Scappe said, referring to rancorous debate surrounding a proposed construction and/or renovation project to the high school and middle school.

Bell said the key now was to eliminate discord on the board and get back to serving parents and students.

"There were things that weren't worked on for months because of the election," Bell said. "We need to get to work with everybody."

Democrat Mary Jane Sandman finished sixth, followed by Republican Don Liskay, GOP incumbent Laura Schisler and challengers Mark Limbruner and Ben Amerio.

-- Dan Gigler

North Fayette
Byron McLean, a retired North Fayette police officer, was elected to his first term as supervisor, defeating last-minute Republican candidate Morgan Price.

"I'm so glad that I can continue serving this township," McLean said.

Price joined the race after Roxanne Buckels, the GOP nominee, withdrew in August for personal reasons. Price was selected by the Republican committee after he volunteered before the deadline for substitution.

McLean, who won the Democratic primary after defeating 36-year Supervisor Louis "Pie" Chauvet, said he wanted to get involved in politics so he could continue to serve and support the residents of North Fayette as he had done for 25 years on the police department.

A graduate of West Allegheny School District in 1965, McLean said he wanted to ensure developers take on more responsibility for roads and infrastructure and work to provide more recreation for youth.

"We spent 12 hours working the polls in opposition, but we talked together the whole day and I really think he is a great guy," McClean said.

Price agreed that it was a good day at the polls.

"I think we had a good time at the polls and, although I wish it would have been a little closer contest, I enjoyed getting acquainted with Byron," Price said. Although it was brief, Price said, the whole experience of campaigning was something he enjoyed.

"Roxanne Buckels and the Republican committee worked very hard for me and I appreciate it greatly, but we need more young, professional Republicans in this area to stand up and be counted," Price said. He said the fact that the township board was unanimously Democratic shows the Republican Party in North Fayette needs to expand.

-- Cheryl Cherico

Scott
Incumbent Eileen Meyers, a Democrat who won the Republican nomination in May, prevailed in her bid for re-election to a second term as 1st Ward commissioner by edging out Democrat Patricia Martin.

"Now we can move on. We can continue what was started," Meyers said yesterday.

Martin, who lost the Democratic nomination to Meyers four years ago but succeeded in winning it this year, said, "I gave it my all, but I'm not giving up. It just wasn't meant to be this time."

In the other contested race -- the 3rd Ward -- political newcomer David Henderson, a Democrat, beat Republican newcomer Judi Abate, a Democrat who had reregistered as a Republican earlier this year to take on Henderson.

Henderson could not be reached for comment. Despite her loss, Abate was upbeat.

"Considering the ratio of Democrats to Republicans in the 3rd Ward, I'm proud of my vote," she said. "I'm hoping that Dave is his own person [when he joins the board in January]."

Other Scott commissioners who ran unopposed were Thomas Castello in the 5th Ward, Craig Stephens in the 7th Ward and James Walther in the 9th Ward.

South Fayette

Commissioner incumbents William Duchess, who had served two terms, and Frank DelFrate, who had served one term, were upset and former Commissioner Thomas Cross, who was seeking to return to the board, was defeated.

Incumbent Sue Cafferty, newcomers David Gardner and Robert Milacci and former police Chief Ted Villani were winners.

Sto-Rox school board
Democrat Kevin Kochirka won the only contested seat, defeating his former teacher, Lenora Karpa.

Also winning seats were newcomers Julia Ann Vasselo, Raymond Puskar and incumbents Donna Parills and John Karpa, Lenora's husband.

A life-long resident of McKees Rocks, Kochirka said he was "ecstatic about the win and couldn't wait to take his seat and interject new ideas."

The electrical engineer and volunteer firefighter said his first order of business was to get on the board and see what happens behind the scenes. As Kochirka sees it, "The school board gets bogged down with too much unessential business and he would like to see more structure and less micromanaging."

Kochirka hopes to pull more people into the circle and encourages residents to help keep him informed and shed light on the issues. "Hopefully, all the board members will work together for the benefit of the school district and the children," Kochirka said.

Karpa said despite her loss, she wished newcomers Kochirka and Vasselo, who also is her former student, a lot of luck and cautions them that they have a lot of work ahead of them.

Karpa won the Republican nomination by two votes over incumbent Joyce Soffa in the primary. Former board members Ernest Diecks III and Dominic DeMichele did not seek re-election.

-- Joyce Brandebura

West Allegheny school board
Two newcomers -- both women and both Democrats -- won school board seats.

Democrat Anne E. Bolind, of Findlay, defeated former board President George Kulin, who had served two terms in Region 3.

Bolind and Debra Mirich, of North Fayette, who was unopposed in Region 2, both said it was time to give women a voice on the school board. Mirich used "Give your daughters a voice" as her campaign slogan.

"I thought a woman's voice was needed on the board," Bolind said of the all-male board. Bolind, a local veterinarian for the past 20 years, said she was pleased with the outcome of her first attempt to run for office. Bolind said she wanted to get involved in politics because she felt some things needed to change.

"I wasn't trying to knock anybody off the board," Bolind said. "It was more that I see some things that can be changed that would be pretty easy and not very expensive to change that might make the kids education a little better."

Bolind said she also thought the board sometimes spent too much time on athletics and extracurricular activities and needed to concentrate a little more on academics.

Other winners were incumbents William Gamble and Carl DeCarlo, both Republicans, in Region 1, and Edward Faux, who was re-elected in Region 3.

-- Cheryl Cherico

Correction/Clarification: (Published Nov. 1112, 2003) The Coraopolis district justice office serves Coraopolis, Crescent and Moon. A story in last week's West edition incorrectly stated that the office also serves Neville.

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