With write-ins tallied, county controller will have GOP opponent in fall
Five Allegheny County and Pittsburgh Public Schools races will have Republican candidates in November following qualifying write-in candidacies in May’s primary election, the county announced Wednesday. That includes the county controller race, where incumbent Chelsa Wagner looked ready to sail to re-election, despite the felony charge she faces in Michigan.
Three of the candidacies will not shake up anything — District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr., county Treasurer John Weinstein and Pittsburgh Public Schools District 6 candidate William Gallagher all received enough write-in votes to qualify as the Republican candidates in their races, but they already had the Democratic nominations.
But the write-in votes mean that, at least on paper, the county controller and County Council District 6 incumbents will see competitive elections in November. In both races, the county Republicans put forward the candidates on May 19, the Sunday before the primary.
For the office of controller, gun rights activist and local Republican committeewoman Brooke Nadonley, of Mount Washington, got 1,887 write-ins to make the ballot against Ms. Wagner.
Ms. Wagner, of Point Breeze, was arrested in Detroit after an incident with police at her hotel just days before the filing deadline in March, leaving the local Republicans without enough time to put a candidate in the primary.
In January, Ms. Nadonley attempted to file an impeachment petition against Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto over proposed city gun ordinances. Ms. Nadonley works in social services.
In County Council District 6, where barber John Palmiere, D-Baldwin Township, easily fended off a primary challenge, Michael Friedman received 367 write-in votes to be the Republican nominee.
Mr. Friedman, of Pleasant Hills, is a retired businessman, according to his statement on the county GOP’s website.
According to the county, “There were no other successful write-in campaigns in the county races, or in Pittsburgh City Council or Pittsburgh School District races. The work [of tallying write-in votes] continues on other municipal and school board races.”