Five seek to replace Comitta on ballot

WEST CHESTER » West Chester area Democrats are scheduled to meet next week to select a candidate who will represent the party in the General Election in November for the 156th Legislative District seat currently held by state Rep. Carolyn Comitta.

Comitta, who has been in office in the district since 2017 and who won renomination in the June 2 Primary Election, withdrew from the race last week after having been successful in getting the Democratic nomination to run for the 19th state Senate District seat in November.

Five candidates have notified party leaders that they intend to seek the approval of the 156th

District committee members on Tuesday during an unusual virtual nominating process being convened electronically because of the continued COVID-19 crisis restrictions on public gatherings, said District Leader Nancy Lorback of West Goshen.

Those who have notified leaders of their hope to be chosen to replace Comitta on the ballot include: legislative staffer Charles “Alex” Christy Jr. of West Chester; business consultant Marcel Kaminstein of Birmingham; West Chester Mayor Dianne Herrin; former Chester County Democratic Committee Chairman Brian McGinnis of West Chester; and sales executive Carrie Pizzillo-Stare of Birmingham.

In an interview Tuesday, Comitta said that even though she will have a vote in the process because of her status as a sitting elected official in the district, she would not throw her support toward any of the candidates.

“I am not going to be making a public endorsement,” she said over the telephone. “But I will support 100 percent whoever is the candidate selected by the committee people of the 156th Legislative District.”

Comitta’s move to withdraw her name from the ballot for re-election to the district — which covers West Chester, East Goshen, Westtown, Birmingham, Thornbury and a portion of West Goshen — comes as no surprise. She was expected to withdraw her name from the 156th District race if she won the three-way primary contest for the state Senate seat being left open by incumbent Andy Dinniman’s announced retirement, as is allowed by state election law.

In results in the race, Comitta topped the Democratic Party’s endorsed candidate, Dinniman staffer Don Vymazal of Phoenixville, and Tredyffrin-Easttown School Board member Kyle Boyer, the head of the West Chester NAACP, getting 51 percent of the vote to Vymazal’s 31 percent and Boyer’s 16 percent.

Lorback said that the 156th Legislative District committee people would be holding informal townshipby-township video meetings with the candidates over the next few days, and convene by video conferencing on Tuesday to make their selection after hearing from the candidates in brief presentations.

The process is simple: anyone of the candidates who wins a simple majority of those casting votes via an internet poll on Tuesday would have his or her name forwarded to the county’s Office of Voter Services for inclusion on the General Election ballot on Nov. 3. If no candidate gets a majority on the first ballot, the top two candidates would face one another in a runoff, she said.

There are 60 committee seats in the 30 precincts in the district, but party bylaws also allow officials such as county District Attorney Deb Ryan and county Sheriff Fredda Maddox to vote for the new candidate.

Whoever is chosen would run against the Republican Party’s nominee, communications company executive and Realtor Len Iacono of West Goshen, in the fall.

Lorback said, she, too would not be making any endorsement in the selection process. “My priority, and I think that of the committee members, is to pick the candidate who has the best chance of retaining the seat in Democratic hands come November.”

That is no clear task. The 156th Legislative District seat has switched parties three times in the years since the late Elinor Z. Taylor retired in 2006 after holding the seat for decades. Democrat Barbara McIlvaine Smith of West Chester won the seat after Taylor’s retirement, and she was then replaced by Republican Dan Truitt of East Goshen, who was then replaced by Comitta. Two of the races, in 2006 and 2016, were decided after protracted recounts of close balloting.

The district still has a slight GOP voter registration edge, according to recent figures from the Pennsylvania Department of State. There are 20,885 Republicans, 19,088 Democrats, and 7,887 independents in the district.

Those running who could be contacted issued statements touting their qualifications and desire to keep the 156th seat in Democratic hands.

“I love being West Chester’s mayor, and I love this community,” said Herrin, who succeed Comitta in that office. “Throughout my term, I have realized that public service is exactly where I belong and, as a committed public servant, I need to take every opportunity to work even harder to support the common good. In the coming years, the Commonwealth will face many critical issues that will define our future, and the future of our communities. I will fight for equity, the environment, public education, living wages, and Pennsylvania’s small business economy.

“I will always remain in service to West Chester no matter what happens,” she said.

“Rep. Carolyn Comitta has served this district with dedication for the last four years, and she will no doubt succeed as our next state senator” predicted McGinnis. “I know that I have the talents, credentials, and passion needed to win this seat, protect our Democratic gains, and enhance what Rep. Comitta started in Harrisburg.

“This race will undoubtedly require a candidate immediately prepared to hit the campaign trail running,” he said. “My recent success attaining the highest male delegate count (in a race for delegate to the Democratic convention) solidifies my electoral capability.”

A newcomer to elective politics, Kaminstein promoted his business acumen as a credential that would benefit the district.

“With a great university, tier-1 hospital system, and many outstanding businesses right here in our district, West Chester has the potential to be the technology capital of Pennsylvania,” said Kaminstein, who owns MediaLabCBG, a brand consulting agency in Wilmington, Del.

“As a state representative, I will facilitate the creation of a technology hub through public-private partnerships that will boost our local economy, attract new investments, and ensure that students stay in the West Chester area after graduation.”

Christy, who works as a legislative aide for state Sen. Tim Kearney, D-26th, of Swarthmore and is the son of former West Chester Councilman Chuck Christy, and Pizzillo-Stare, a sales representative for AT&T and board member of the LGBT Equality Alliance of Chester County, could not be reached for comment. Neither have sought office previously.