Primary election results
Voter turnout was low for the 2015 primary elections, with only just under 18 percent of registered voters heading to the polls in Allegheny County. Still, some decisions were made.
In the race for magisterial district judge in Bethel Park/Upper St. Clair, incumbent Judge Ron Arnoni will be keeping his seat. He received 43.7 percent of the republican vote and 38.24 percent of the democrat vote.
Traci McDonald-Kemp received the most votes on both the Republican and Democratic ballots for a magisterial district judge nomination in Cecil Township.
All three candidates, Jesse White, Mike Philips and McDonald-Kemp cross-filed for the seat, which covers Cecil, Mt. Pleasant and Robinson townships and McDonald Borough.
McDonald-Kemp received 963 votes on the Democratic ballot and 772 on the Republican ballot.
The hotly-sought seats of the board of South Fayette commissioners have seen their Democratic seekers whittled to four, while the Republican party saw their challengers automatically push through four candidates to the November general election.
Democrat John Kosky received 16 percent of the vote with 548 ballots cast in his favor, followed by Raymond Pitetti with 14.4 percent, or 484 votes; Joe Horowtitz had 14.06 percent or 471 votes; and Gwen Rodi snagged the fourth place nomination with 11.3 percent, or 385 ballots.
For Republicans, “write-in” led with 26 percent of the vote, or 524 votes, followed by Lisa Ann Malosh (24 percent), Fred Cardillo (18); William Sray (15.8) and Terri Kuhn with 14 percent. If the write-in votes are tallied for one candidate, only Kuhn would be left off the November ballot. Write-in tallies won’t be identified for several weeks, according to elections officials.
In Upper St. Clair, the lone at-large nominee for Democrats is unidentified “write-in” with 100 percent of the votes, or 51 cast ballots. Similarly, wards one, three and five all have unconfirmed write-in ballots consisting of 100 percent of the vote. The Republican incumbents held off only a handful of write-in votes with Nicholas Seitinakis claiming 99 percent of the vote for Ward 1; Bob Orchowski clinching 98 percent in Ward 3; Louis Oliverio with 96 percent in Ward 5.
In Mt. Lebanon, Democrats John Bendel, Andrew Reinhart and Kelly Fraasch saw little threat from write-ins and will have a chance to keep their respective ward seats in November. Republican Daniel T. McNichol will be a challenger to Mr. Bendel in Ward 1, as will Steve McLean against Reinhart in Ward 3 and William Hoon is pitted against Kelly Fraasch in Ward 5
In the Mt. Lebanon school district, all five democrats were virtually unopposed (Sarah L. Olbrich, Elaine L. Cappucci, Hugh L. Beal, William L. Cooper; and Lawrence Lebowitz). Republican Matt Kluck makes it to the general election, while cross-filed GOP candidates Lebowtiz, Cappucci, Cooper, and Olbrich made the cut, leaving Beal with sole candidacy on the Democratic ticket.
Frank Kosir Jr., a member of the Peters Township Planning Commission, will become the newest township councilman, replacing Meghan Jones-Rolla who opted not to seek re-election. Incumbent Robert Lewis was re-elected.
In the Peters School Board election, newcomer Minna Allison will become its newest member. And Connie Fournier, who ran as a Republican for council, received 531 votes and was unopposed.
In the Bethel Park Constable races, John L. Sullivan appears to have won the Ward 5 race with 239 votes and Thomas C. McDaniel won the Ward 2 race with 122 votes. Mark O’ Brien received 291 votes in the Bethel Park Ward 6 race with 1,1,46. David Amaditz was second with 984.
In Scott Township, Joe Riley was re-elected constable with 911 votes. In Ward 1, Eileen Meyers was re-elected to commission as was Tom Castello, Frank Bruckner and Donald Giudici.