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.
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)
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.
