Newcomer leads incumbent in South Hills race
Allegheny County Council apparently will have three new members after Democratic newcomer Tom Duerr took a substantial lead Tuesday over incumbent Republican Sue Means in the District 5 race in the South Hills.
If he wins, Mr. Duerr would join two other new faces on the 15-member council: Democrat Bethany Hallam won the party’s atlarge seat over incumbent John DeFazio in the spring, while Democrat Olivia Bennett defeated incumbent Denise Ranalli Russell in the May primary and faced no opposition Tuesday.
These Democratic incumbents also won without opposition: Nick Futules, District 7; Paul Zavarella, District 8; DeWitt Walton, District 10; and Paul Klein, District 11.
Here’s what happened in the contested races:
District 2
In the North Hills, incumbent Republican Cindy Kirk was leading Democrat Christine Allen, but the race was too close to call.
Ms. Kirk, 62, of McCandless, is a nurse who has served on council since 2016. Although Republicans hold a minority of seats on the council, Ms. Kirk said she takes pride in working together on many issues.
Christine Allen, 53, is a member of Sewickley Council and works as an information technology analyst for an insurance company.
The district includes Bell Acres, Bradford Woods, Crescent, Edgeworth, Franklin Park, Leet, Leetsdale, Marshall, McCandless, Ohio, Pine, Richland, Sewickley, Sewickley Heights and Sewickley Hills.
District 5
Mr. Duerr, 24, of Bethel Park, was a newcomer as a candidate, but he used his experience as a professional campaign worker in his race against a six-year incumbent. Mr. Duerr worked on campaigns for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb and state Sen. Pam Iovino over the past four years.
Ms. Means, 58, of Bethel Park, was on her way to defeat after six years on the council, much of which she served as the opposition to the Democratic majority.
She is a retired nurse.
The district includes Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon, and Bridgeville.
District 6
In another South Hills seat, incumbent Democrat John Palmiere beat back a challenge from another newcomer, Republican Mike Freedman, 70, of Pleasant Hills.
Mr. Palmiere, 77, of Baldwin Township, also defeated a challenger in the primary to retain a council seat he was appointed to in 2011. Mr. Palmiere owns Palmiere’s Hair Center in Brentwood.
Mr. Freedman, a retired advertising executive, criticized the incumbent for his strong support of County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, also a Democrat. Mr. Palmiere said he would have no problem voting against Mr. Fitzgerald’s initiatives, if necessary, but “mostly we’re in harmony.”
Mr. Freedman said one reason he entered the race was to provide Mr. Palmiere with a challenger after several unopposed races.
The district includes Baldwin Borough, Baldwin Township, Brentwood, Castle Shannon, Clairton, Elizabeth Borough, Jefferson Hills, Pleasant Hills, South Park, West Elizabeth and Whitehall.