Eight enter race to be commissioner

Tuesday, May 21, is Primary Day in Pennsylvania – the day when voters decide which candidates they want to vote on in the fall general election.  Last Tuesday was the last day for candidates to file petition papers to have their names appear on the ballot.

Here’s a quick look at contested races on the ballot.  Information about the candidates is based on information provided by the county elections office. 

Both Republican incumbent county commissioners, Alan Hall of Hallstead Borough, and Elizabeth “Betsy” Arnold, of Bridgewater Twp., want voters to send them back for another four-year term. Hall is looking to secure a third term in the office, while Arnold is seeking her second term.

Democratic incumbent commissioner MaryAnn Warren of New Milford Borough also seeks re-election to a fifth term as a commissioner.

But a start-up grassroots organization seeking to unseat all three commissioners has drawn attention.

In a novel move, the group billing themselves as the Bootstrap Campaign supports four candidates – two from each major party.

Democratic candidates Judy Herschel, of Susquehanna, and Susan Rowe, of Oakland Twp., are running on one side of the ticket. Republicans Sue Pipitone of New Milford Twp. and Dana J. Rockwell of Susquehanna Borough will appear on the GOP ballot.

Last year Herschel lost out to Marc Friedenberg by a very small margin in the Democratic primary for the 12th Congressional District Marino vacated.

Rockwell is a Susquehanna Borough council member.  Rowe also seeks reelection to a six-year term on the Oakland Twp. board of supervisors.

Among other things, the Bootstrap Campaign seeks to overhaul county politics starting from the top down and seeks changes in how the county does business, even down to when and where the commissioners meet to discuss that business. Their goal is to seek like-minded candidates regardless of political affiliation.

Many of the campaign members are veterans of the Susquehanna Clean Area Network, or SCAN, that formed in opposition to talk of a hazardous waste incinerator a group was looking to build near New Milford.

Montrose Borough Councilman Thomas G. Follert also appears on the Democratic ticket for commissioner. In February 2018 Follert was appointed to the vacant Ward 1 position on the borough council.

Voters registered as Republican or Democratic may vote for two candidates from their party in the commissioners’ race. The top two vote-getters from each party will move on to the General Election in November.

Another primary race bound to draw plenty of attention locally pits District Attorney Marion O’Malley of Montrose against challenger Bill Urbanski, who lists an address in Franklin Twp.  Both are Republicans.

Once the county’s deputy prosecutor under the late district attorney Robert Klein, Urbanski’s attempted to assume Klein’s post after his death in December 2017 but was rejected because he did not meet the residency requirement.

The state supreme court refused to declare him district attorney but said he could sue in county court. That subsequent suit has been appealed.

O’Malley served as the deputy prosecutor under present Judge Jason Legg when he served as district attorney.

Also running for reelection is Susquehanna County Coroner Anthony J. Conarton, a Republican.

The three county auditor positions are also on the ballot this year.