Democrats win all but one local race in northern Chester County

Democrats swept all but one municipal seat in the seven contested elections in the northern Chester County area covered by The Mercury.

The election was marred by the fact that on Election Day, nearly 20 percent of all registered voters — 75,076 registered third-party voters, including Independents, Libertarians, and the names of those registered as “No Affiliation” and “Non-Parisian” — were omitted from the poll books.

Registered third-party cast provisional ballots through the judge of elections stationed at the polls. The county extended voting hours to 10 p.m. from 8 p.m. County park rangers delivered supplemental poll books with third-party voters listed by 3:45 p.m. Tuesday.

What impact, if any, this had on local election results remains unknown.

North Coventry

Longtime incumbent Republican Jim Marks narrowly lost his reelection bid by 53 votes, taking 1,323 votes.

His Democratic opponent, Chad Ezra Dudonis, however, took in 1,376 according to unofficial results from Chester County’s Office of Voter Services.

East Coventry

When longtime incumbent supervisors W. Atlee Rinehart and Ray Kolb announced they would not seek reelection, it meant the board would have two new faces in January.

The unofficial election results show those two faces will belong to the Democratic candidates. Meaghan G. Wright was the top vote-getter with 1,341 votes, according to unofficial results. Illeana M. Casiano-Vasquez came in second with 1,149 votes.

Republican Shawn Bickley took in 855 votes and Peter Price won 852 votes.

Phoenixville

There were contested races for borough council in two wards this year, the North Ward and the West Ward.

In the North Ward, Koretta K. McGhee, who ousted incumbent Richard Kirkner in the primary to take the Democratic ballot line, trounced Republican David Willmore,1,035 votes to 347, according to unofficial results.

In the West Ward, incumbent Democrat Dana Dugan won an even more lopsided victory over Socialist/Liberation Party candidate John Parker Studebaker. Dugan won by 777 votes, 1,149 votes to Studebaker’s 372.

Spring City

There was a contest for mayor and four open seats on the Spring City Borough Council this election.

Incumbent Democrat Adam Alberico easily won reelection by a vote of 724 to 213 taken by his Republican opponent, Gina Aiello.

For council, the only candidate running solely on the Republican line, incumbent Paul Krem, came in fifth in the four-way race, taking in 338 votes.

Christopher L. Yocum, who appeared on both the Republican and Democratic ballot lines and is also an incumbent, came in fourth, collecting 471 votes according to unofficial results.

The other three winners were all on the Democratic ballot line. They were Sara K. Woll, 582 votes; Brandon Woll, 580 votes and Matt Handley, 563 votes.

West Pikeland

Four sought two open seats in the township supervisor race, and incumbent Harold M. Hallman III retained his seat, the only Republican in the region to do so. He won 853 votes.

The other winner was Democrat Bryan Maher, who was the top vote-getter with 985.

Democrat Ashton Simmons came in third with 837 votes, and Republican Jeffrey Kern won 730 votes.

East Pikeland

Democrat Vincent Morello won an easy victory in the race for one open seat on the board of supervisors, earning nearly 65 percent of the vote with 2,305 votes.

Republican Mike Layne lagged with 1,243 votes, according to unofficial results.

West Vincent

This was another lopsided result with Democrat Sean D. Clark winning 1,434 votes, or nearly 61 percent, and the single seat open on the board of commissioners.

Republican Craig S. Karkosa Sr. received 910 votes.