Candidates sparse for some races

From staff reports

Voters will pick their favorites for party endorsements in Venango County’s townships and boroughs in the May 21 primary election.

In several cases, though, there is a dearth of candidates vying for municipal posts. The lack of candidates is dramatic in some instances.

For example, Victory Township has openings for all three of its township supervisor posts at one for six years, one for four years and one for two years. In Polk Borough, four council seats are up for election. No one filed petitions for any of those slots.

There are exceptions, though, according to nomination petitions filed this week in the county election office.

A listing of seven candidates are vying for party nods to five seats on the Franklin school board. There are a handful, too, of supervisor races in the townships.

Two ballot questions

Surprisingly, voters in two boroughs filed petitions to have a liquor question put on the spring ballot.

Barkeyville and Utica residents are asking for public support for granting liquor licenses in the boroughs.

The Barkeyville petition was signed by 21 voters while the Utica petition listed 39 signatures.

Here is a listing of municipal and school board candidates whose names will be listed on the May 21 ballots.

Townships

The following candidates are running for supervisor posts:

Canal

Democrat – Joseph C. Dailey

Cherrytree

Republican – Robert Kellogg, Roger G. Patterson

Democrat – Mark McDowell

Clinton

Republican – (6-year) Michael L. Steadman

Democrat – (2-year) Benjamin T. Porter

Cornplanter

Republican – Richard A. Balas

Cranberry

Republican – Matthew McSparren

Frenchcreek

Republican – Terry A. McCarty, Jeremy Hoover

Irwin

Democrat – Gregory L. Miller

Jackson

Republican – (6-year) Russell W. Coyne; (4-year) Mark E. Mitchell

Mineral

Republican – Frank G. Krizinsky Jr.

Oakland

Republican – Glenn F. Speer

Oil Creek

Republican – Keith E. Armstrong

Pinegrove

Republican – Rick Ehrhart

Plum

Republican – Steven Sterling, Lewis A. Bickel Jr.

President

Democrat – Frank A. Machokas, John W. Bailey

Richland

Republican – Thomas E. Best

Rockland

Republican – Charles S. Vernam

Sandycreek

Republican – Herbert Jankovich

No one filed petitions for supervisor in Allegheny, Scrubgrass and Victory townships.

Boroughs

Barkeyville

Council – (4)

Democrats – William Coursen, Alvin D. Patton, Warren D. Whetzel Jr., David Bruce Howard

Clintonville

Council – (3)

Republicans – Becky L. Hedglin, Michael L. Sandrock, Catherine Bolinger; (2-year) Joseph Edward Kelly Jr.

Also, Mary M. Kelley is running for a Republican tax collector nod in Shiipenville.

Cooperstown

Council – (2)

Democrat – Bonnie Tologo, Jane Beach

Emlenton

Council – (4)

Republican – Walter Sam Turk, Paul Calderone Jr., Timothy S. Kriebel, Paul S. Kentzel

Pleasantville

Council – (2)

Democrat – Harvey Long, Kathleen A. McMunn

Polk

Council – (4)

None

Rouseville

Council – (2)

Republican – Shawn B. Sponenburgh, Stephen Kelly

Democrat – (2-year) Joseph Long

Sugarcreek

Council – (2)

Republican – (2nd District) Bogan Goughler

Republican – (3rd District) Matt Carlson

Democrat – (3rd District) Howard A. Barger

In Utica Borough, no petitions were filed for two counsil seats.

School boards

Although most candidates cross-filed on both the Republican and Democratic tickets, a few opted to appear on only one ballot in the primary election.

Cranberry (5)

Republican – Ken Brannon, Mark Marterella

Franklin (5)

Republican – Donald Judy, Misty Nalepa, Judson Andy Boland, Erin Leccia, Sabrina Backer, Marcia Patton, Cheryl Ferry

Democrat – Nalepa, Boland, Backer, Patton, Ferry

Oil City (4)

Republican – James A. Disque, Angella Scalise, Shari Neely, Stephen Kelley

Democrat – Disque, Scalise, Neely

Valley Grove (5)

Republican – Todd Wetjen, Debra L. Brink, Cindy Shearer Swendsen, Susan Bialo, Brandon Winger

Democrat – Brink, Bialo, Winger.