Incumbents ousted in primary battle
Published: May 28, 2009
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share thisA little more than 19 percent of eligible Susquehanna County voters turned out for the May 19 municipal primary. With few contested races on the ballot, voters lacked candidate choices and faced blank ballot positions in many municipalities.
In the contested races, however, several incumbents lost in their primary bid.
The hotly debated Northern Tier Coalition zoning issue apparently played a key role in a few of the supervisor races. In townships where residents have rallied against municipal planning in the past year, contested races led to the defeat of two incumbent supervisors.
Incumbents Terrence Dugan, R-Silver Lake, and Harvey Rosenkrans, R-Franklin, both fell to challengers in the May 19 vote.
Dugan lost to challenger Francis Fruehan and Rosenkrans fell to Mark Creamer.
Silver Lake is in the process of working on the zoning plan, but Franklin Twp. has already opted out of the proposed NTC zoning plan.
In Liberty Twp., incumbent Republican supervisor Jame Lindsey garnered 48 votes, besting challenger Ralph Jackson's 35.
On Liberty's Democratic ballot, Clifford Reed collected 20 votes.
In Bridgewater Twp., former county commissioner Jeffrey Irving Loomis faced Kenneth Mead in a GOP race for supervisor. Incumbent supervisor Bev Way did not seek re-election.
Loomis lost the Republican bid to Mead by a 62 vote margin. Mead collected 143 votes while Loomis posted 81.
Clifford Twp. was also the scene of a contested Republican supervisor primary. Barry Searle beat won over James Locker, 201-81.
On the Democratic ballot for Clifford supervisor, James (Jay) Lynch ran unopposed. Lynch gathered 28 votes.
However, 127 voters cast write-in votes of which it appears Searle received 46. The election returns board has yet to certify the write-ins.
In Thompson Twp., Thomas E. Jenkins emerged the Republican victor, posting 23 votes to Richard Wademan's six vote tally.
TAX COLLECTOR RACES
Incumbent Lenox tax collector Christine Henke emerged the victor in a three-way GOP race for the office. Henke received 158 votes, besting Lorraine DePew, 40 votes, and Julie Stalter-Harvatine, 28 votes.
In a close New Milford Twp. Republican race for tax collector, Jennifer Schmidt posted 78 votes to Amy Hine's 73. Incumbent tax collector Roberta Gulick did not seek re-election.
SCHOOL DIRECTOR
There were three contested school director races for slots on the Blue Ridge board.
In Region 1A (New Milford Borough), Christina Whitney defeated Mindi Carr on the GOP ballot, 46-33. Whitney also ran on the Democratic ballot and earned 11 votes.
On the Democratic ballot in Region 2 (Hallstead), former board member and president Alan Hall challenged incumbent Cynthia Gillespie. Hall eked out a victory by only one vote, 42-41. Hall also appeared on the GOP ballot, receiving 83 votes.
In Region 3B (Great Bend township), retired Blue Ridge employee John Ketchur defeated incumbent Lonnie Fisher, 92-39, in the Republican race. Ketchur also appeared on the Democratic ballot, receiving 30 votes.
