8 board candidates will face off in fall
Dueling slates each win their side of primary ballot
LANSDALE >> The voters have spoken, and the ballot in the fall will be similar to that in the spring.
Complete but unofficial results indicate the race for four seats on the North
Penn School Board will once again contain eight candidates.
On the Democratic side of the ballot, incumbent board members Tina Stoll, Christian Fusco, Jonathan Kassa and Al Roesch are each running for second terms under the “North Penn Neighbors for Progress” ticket that each has run on once before.
Vote totals from Montgomery County’s Department of Voter Services Wednesday morning show that Stoll topped all candidates with 8,146 votes reported, then Fusco with 7,907, followed by Kassa with 7,199 and Roesch with 6,327.
“At this point the Republican and Democrat ballots look very different after mail-in votes were counted,” the Democrat team said in a statement to The Reporter
Tuesday night.
“While we certainly don’t expect to win the Republican primary, we can’t help but thank so many of our Republican neighbors for their strong bipartisan support. The strength of our Democratic base continues to propel our success and we look forward to the campaign ahead.”
On the Republican side of the ballot, the four incumbents were being challenged
by a “North Penn Stronger Together” team of Republicans Jessie Bradica, Frederick Froehlich, Michael Kennedy and Harry Snyder, all of whom would be board newcomers.
Vote totals Wednesday indicated Kennedy had the most votes on the Republican side of the ballot with 5,980, then Bradica with 5,580, Snyder with 5,511, and Froehlich with 5,391.
“I want to extend my deepest appreciation to all of the amazing people who have helped make this campaign a reality. To all of our volunteers, committee members, our entire community, and most of all the amazing voters in the North Penn School District, thank you for all of your support. Now our attention turns to November when we really can make North Penn Stronger Together,” Froehlich said Tuesday night.
Bradica added late Tuesday that she was “truly humbled by the tremendous support and dedication people have given us throughout this process so far.”
“I want to thank all who have contributed their time, talent, and vote to get us this far. We are just beginning. We are committed to stay positively focused in an effort to not further divide our community, but make North Penn Stronger Together through transparency, fiscal responsibility, offering the best curriculum, professional development, and apolitical policies that will provide a high quality academic experience and maximize students’ potential that values all members of the North Penn community,” she said.
Snyder added Wednesday morning that he “was initially compelled to run for NP School Board because of my son who is a fourth grade North Penn student. I’m proud of the effort he’s made to make the best out of a not so good situation this school year.”
“Since entering the race, I’ve had the good fortune to talk to and listen to the stories of countless North Penn parents and tax payers. Their stories and concerns only bolstered my commitment to bring balance to a lopsided Democratic school board. This needs to change and all voices need to heard and appreciated. I vow to do just that. Thank you again for your support,” he said.
On the Democratic side of the ballot, the four Republicans finished far behind the incumbents, with Bradica gaining the most cross-ballot voters with 2,112, then Kennedy at 1,580, Froehlich with 1,107 and Snyder with 1,042.
On the Republican side, Stoll and Froehlich were both tied at 640 votes after only mail-in ballots were counted, but a late update provided separation for the challenger; at last count Fusco had received 1,999 cross-ballot votes, just shy of Stoll who tallied 1,959 votes, then Kassa 1,437 and Roesch 1,173 as of 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Those vote totals could provide a hint at the outcome in November: Bradica the top Republican vote-getter overall, received a total of 7,692 votes cast across both sides, and Kennedy 7,560 — while Roesch, who had the lowest totals of the four Democrats, totaled 7,500 votes as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, still nearly enough to prevail over any of the Republicans.
On Thursday morning, the Republican team issued a further statement, thanking the community and their volunteers for their support.
“It is our hope that throughout this election process we can continue to earn the trust and respect of the members of our community and show them that we truly are looking to bring positive changes to the North Penn School District. We would also like to congratulate our opponents on their Democratic primary victory and we look forward to the next step in this process,” said the statement.
“Finally, we would like to emphasize that one of the core principles of our team has always been to run a positive and community-centered campaign free from political rhetoric and instead remaining committed to furthering our policies and our perspective with respect and dignity for all candidates. We plan to continue that approach as we turn our attention towards the fall general election where we truly do believe that we can make North Penn stronger together.”