WHAT’S AT STAKE
Delco voters have multitude of choices on Election Day:
While most of Delaware County’s political world focuses on the highly charged races for District Attorney and three county council seats in next month’s election, there is plenty of action on the local level, too.
It might be easier to list the towns that don’t have races Nov. 5. With so many candidates throwing their hats into contests for school board, supervisor, council, commissioner and others and as the demographics of Delaware County continue to shift - places that had been synonymous with the GOP like Springfield, Upper Darby and Ridley Township are seeing their ballots getting longer and longer.
County voter registration numbers have been swinging more and more Democratic for years and that trend remained consistent this fall. As of Oct. 11, there were 398,771 registered voters in Delaware County. Of those, 189,810 were Democrats, 156,953 were Republicans, 1,404 were Libertarians, 367 were Green and 30,420 had “no affiliation.”
In Springfield, a group of Democrats motivated by the victory of state Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, D-165 of Springfield, last year has decided to challenge the ruling township commissioners. Matthew “Westy” Westergaard, Rose Mary Fasciocco, Pasquale Cipolloni and Marie Elaine Turnbull are competing for the seats of incumbent GOP commissioners Ed Kelly, Jeffrey Rudolph and Dan Lanciano, as well as newcomer Suzanne Hoffman in place of retiring Lee Janiczek.
In Upper Darby, there are races all up and down the ballot. Voters can pick two four-year term council-atlarge seats from Republicans Patrick Spellman and Terry Tracy and Democrats Brian Burke and Michelle Billups. In the 2nd District, Democrat Matt Silva faces Republican Lisa Faraglia. In the 4th District, Republican Marc Manfre and Democrat Danyelle Blackwell vie for the seat.
Republican Mayor Tom Micozzie also faces a contest for his position from Democratic Council-AtLarge member Barbarann Keffer. Micozzie began his service to the township as a firefighter as a teen, working his way up to fire chief and was appointed mayor in January 2009. In 2011, he was elected to a fouryear term. Keffer has volunteered with the Darby Creek Valley Association from 2010 and has been involved in its annual cleanups.
There’s even a race in GOP stronghold Ridley Township for 3rd ward commissioner, where Democrat Michael Diaz and Republican Elizabeth Cummins tussle for the fouryear seat.
Area school boards also have their compositions up for contention. Only Chester Upland, Garnet Valley, Interboro and Southeast Delco have no contests.
The race for Chichester School Board began back in the primary when the non-endorsed Republicans won their respective races. In February, chairman of the Upper Chichester GOP Michael McKinney issued a press release saying the township party would be backing himself and others for township positions and also specifically noted that the party was not endorsing incumbent school board members Ruth Ann Baiocco Frank Sill and Ed Cardow.
Sill won spots on both the Democrat and Republican ballots for School Director Region 1. Baiocco and Cardow won the Republican nomination for School Director Region 2 and will face Democrats Diane Simon and Lindsay Roman for a four-year term. For a two year term in Region 2, voters will pick either Democrat Gregory Trader or Republican Nancy Johnson.
In Chichester’s Region 2, voters will pick one of two from Democrat Mylisa Rae Himmons, or Gerald R. Dugan Jr. or Georgianna Montella, both Republicans.
In Haverford, voters will pick five board members for a four-year term from a field of 10: Democrats Laura Crispin, Bridget Wiedeman, Lawrence A. Feinberg, Antoinette Snodgrass and David Schwartz and Republicans Thomas E. Thornton, Russ Bilotta, Jonathan Delise, Edward F. Sweeney and Josh Rudegeair.
There’s also a race for a two-year Haverford School Director term as Democrat Ari Flaisher faces Republican Ellen Fisher.
In Marple Newtown, voters are asked to pick five school board members. Among the names on the ballot, four are cross filed - Desiree Tomasco, Nicholas Reynolds, John P. McKenzie Jr. and Matthew J. Bilker. Republican Tracy Alberti and Democrat Lindsey Conan are also on the ballot for a spot.
In the Penn-Delco School District, only Stephanie Ellis has her name on both the D and R ballots. Others appearing, of which voters will pick five for fouryear terms, include Democrats Anna Truskin, Daniel Burke, Marino Giancroce and Thomas Dykes and Republicans Kevin Tinsley, Lisa Esler, Bernard J. Seasock Jr. and Leon Armour.
The Radnor School District also has a full race with voters picking five school directors for a fouryear term. On the Democrat side, Amy Goldman, Liz Duffy, Nancy Monahan, Jeff Jubelirer and Bradley Moore face Republicans Charles E. Madden III, Michael B. Miller, Laura Foran, Benjamin Sydnes and Matt Mabe.
In the Ridley School District, Democrats Nick Anastasio, Alexander Gonzalez and Michael Hayse duke it out for five four-year terms against Republicans Michael Capozzoli, Joseph John Ward and Christopher
Lenton. Incumbents Christine McMenamin and Beverly Kapanjie will appear on both ballots.
Candidates are named on both sides in the five open four-year seats in the Rose Tree Media School District. There, Republicans William O’Donnell, Jenny Dresden, Jeff Koenig, AnnMarie Koveal and Janet Beausoleil face Democrats Hillary Fletcher, Susan Layne, Jackie Gusic, Kelly Schaffer and Shelly Hunt.
In Springfield, the only school board race is in Region 9 where voters will choose between Democrat Jacqueline Guy and Republican Christopher DeSantis.
In the Unionville Chadds Ford School District, three four-year spots are up and John P. Murphy has a place on both the Democrat and Republican ballot. Other choices facing the voters include Democrats Erin Talbert and Jen Brown and Republicans Steve Jones and Jon Trigg.
In Upper Darby, the field for five four-year school board members is also loaded with Republicans Lee Ann Jordan, Margaret Fullmer, Suzanne Briddes, Jason Speck and former state Rep. Jamie Santora vying for a spot against Democrats Gina Curry, Damien Christopher Warsavage, Meredith Hegg, David Neill and Donald Fields.
Voters in Wallingford-Swarthmore have a contest in Region 2 where they have their choice of Democrat Lawrence Kutys, Republican Robert Reiger or Michele Downie, who is on both the Democrat and Republican ballot as they choose two for four-year terms.
At the municipal level, county voters likewise have a plethora of choices to make.
In Aldan, four four-year seats are open on council and the choices are Democrats Caroline McKernan, Harold W. Borders Jr., Joyce Lambert and Daniel Procopio and Republicans Sandy Durso, Sal Oropollo, Michele Gannon and Regina Coady.
Two of Aston’s four-year commissioner seats have contests. In the 1st Ward, Republican John J. Dougherty faces Democrat Albert Schuster while Democrat Rebecca Lyn DiValerio battles Republican Nancy Bowden in the 5th Ward.
In Brookhaven, three is the magic number with a field of six for four-year council terms. Republicans Donna Fooks, Cherie Heller and Hector Vazquez Jr. take on Democrats Vawn Donaway, Lyn Delgott and Jim Lapera for the title.
Chester Heights voters pick three four-year council seats from a field of Democrats, Susan Clarke, Marta Driscoll and Philip Block against Republicans David William Firsker, Laura Macy Lim and Natalie Anderson.
Even the auditor in Chester Township has a competition for the six-year term as Republican Tonya Haman faces Democrat Julianne McDonald. Voters will also have to choose two four-year council seats as Democrats Risheena Young-Payne and Angela Prattis face Republicans William Kennard and Gabriel Ingram.
In Clifton Heights, two four-year council seats are opposed. In the 3rd Ward, Democrat Kurt Schulthise takes on Republican Timothy O’Hara while Republican Karen Peterson vies for the 4th Ward position against Democrat Jane Brydon.
There’s a two-year mayor race in Collingdale as Democrat Felecia Coffee faces Republican Joseph Ciavarelli for the spot and three four-year council seats are open with Democrats Dorothy Gallagher, Brianna Rush-Green and Daryl Booker taking on Republicans Christopher McBreen, Colin McCann and Jeffrey Bucolo.
In Concord, voters will pick three four-year term seats from a field of Republicans, Peter Pagano Jr., Michael Harding and John Crossan and Democrat Kenneth Hemphill. And, they’ll pick one two-year term between Democrat Shelly Chauncey and Republican Dana Rankin.
There’s only one race in Darby Township where Democrat Marin Smith faces Independent Crystal Bell for commissioner of the 1st Ward, a four-year position.
In Eddystone, Republican Daniel Corcoran and Democrat Johannah Sprague vie for the two-year tax collector spot as Democrats Chris Sprague, Glen Wilson and
Rob Yannuzzi face Republicans Kelly Ann Butkus, Mandy Hall and Wiliam Bolton for three four-year terms on council
The auditor with the sixyear term has a challenge in Edgmont as Democrat Paula Farley Jackson faces Republican Ryan Christopher Richards and voters will pick between Republican Ronald Gravina and Democrat Linda Yu for a six-year supervisor term.
Four spots are open on Folcroft Borough Council with Democrats Joseph Papaleo, Kyle Willis, Leigh Daly and Mindy Isaac challenging Republicans Nicholas Marino, Lawrence Penny, Robert Schramm and Christine Peterson for four-year terms. There’s also a choice between Republican Robert Ruskowski and Democrat Nicholas Waters for the open twoyear council seat.
In Glenolden, voters will choose between Democrats Maureen Carreno, Robert Curran and Robert Barr and Republicans Ken Pfaff, Kimberly Duffy, and Anne Cicala, as well as Jim Boothby who was elected on both sides of the ballot for four four-year terms on council.
Four Haverford wards have contests with Republican Steve D’Emilio and Democrat Daniel Weber facing each other in the 1st ward; Democrat Kevin McCloskey and Republican Curtis Cheyney in the 3rd ward; Republican Andy Lewis and Democrat Shannon Bearman in the 5th ward and Democrat Hannah Turlish and Republican Conor Francis Quinn in the 7th ward. All are four-year terms.
Down in Marcus Hook, Republicans Josephine “Gigi” Laird, Paula Ewing, Bill Cox and Michael Manerchia face Democrat Tameka Gibson for four open four-year terms on council.
In Marple, two commissioner seats face competition. In the 5th ward, Democrat Brian Bortnicker and Republican John Longacre battle for the seat while Republican Daniel Leefson and Democrat Janice Newman fight for the 7th ward. Both are four-year terms.
Media Borough has a battle for council with Democrats Peter Williams, Brian Hall and Paul Robinson opposing Republicans Michael Straw, Jessica Paine and Ryan Grace for three four-year terms.
In Middletown, voters will pick two four-year council-at-large positions from a field including Democrats Ken Dinitz and Allyson Galloway, Republicans Mark Kirchgasser and Kathleen O’ConnellBell and Independent Ag Ciavarelli. In the 1st District Council race, Republican Susan Powell will face Democrat Kelly Johnson and in the 3rd District, Democrat Karleen Krenicky takes on Republican Bibianna Dussling.
The mayor’s up for contest in Morton as Republican Sunday Dyitt faces Democrat Tom App for the two-year term.
In Nether Providence, voters in the 1st Ward will choose between Democrat Max Cooper and Republican Bob Kelly and those in the 5th ward will select either Republican George L. Moore III or Democrat Scott Spangler for fouryear terms.
In Newtown, two sixyear supervisor terms are open with Democrats Cheryl Grosso and Paul Seligson challenging Republicans Lenoard Altieri III and Christina Roberts Lightcap.
Four Republicans, Edward Fitzpatrick, William Gavin, Brian Harley and Cathie Pfaff, face Democrat Dianna Dillio for four four-year open seats on Norwood Borough Council.
In Parkside, Democrats Anna Guy, Scott Sidlow and Perry Sweigart take on Republicans Robert Powers, William Todd Bennett and Kevin Underwood for three four-year council positions.
Three Republicans, John Bradley, Vicki Neill and Eric Schreiber face Democrats Julia McDevitt and Paul Johnson for three fouryear borough council seats in Prospect Park.
In Radnor, Democrat John Larkin faces Republican Bill Morrissey in the 1st ward; Republican Tim Lowry takes on Democrat Damien Enderle in the 3rd ward; and Democrat Sean Farhy competes against Republican Timothy Frey in the 7th ward for four-year commissioner seats.
Ridley Park Borough has a council race with Republicans Michael McGinley, Michelle Mattus and Richard Guerra facing Democrats Chris Buchanan, Eileen Somers and David Ben Bernstein for three fouryear council positions.
Rose Valley voters have the choice of five for three four-year borough council seats: Democrats Judy Voet and David Firn and Republicans Stephanie Middleton, Curt Krouse and Kurt Christensen.
In Thornbury, voters can pick Republican James Kelly or Democrat Danielle Yoch for a six-year supervisor term.
In Trainer, three fouryear council spots are being contested by Democrat Gregory Miley and Republicans Jennifer Frazier, Jerry Guglielmi and Gregory Miley.
Voters can pick four from the field of Republicans Sandra Deldeo, Julie Kerns or Leland Hunter Jr., Democrat Abigail Gertner and Christine Peterson, who’s on both sides of the ballot for Upland borough council. It’s a four-year term.
In Upper Chichester commissioner races, Republican Joe Baiocco faces Democrat Charles McLaughlin in the 3rd ward and Democrat Chuck Old takes on Republican Michael Gaudiuso in the 5th ward. Both are fouryear terms.
Then, in Upper Providence, Democrat Kevin Else faces Republican Gregory Mallon Jr. in the 2nd district and Republican Tim Broadhurst challenges Democrat Elgin Akarsoy in the 4th district for open four-year council terms there.
Voters also will face a question addressing what’s known as Marsy’s Law, a measure that proponents say would give crime victims the same treatment as defendants as outlined in the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Opponents say the law could potentially give prosecutors an upper hand. The question as it reads is, “Shall the Pennsylvania be amended to grant certain rights to crime victims, including to be treated with fairness, respect and dignity; considering their safety in bail proceedings; timely notice and opportunity to take part in public proceedings; reasonable protection from the accused; restitution and return of property; proceedings free from delay; and to be informed of these rights so they can enforce them?”