Posted on 11/09/2011 7:36:35 AM PST by Vigilanteman
Republicans authored a historic shift in Westmoreland County government on Tuesday.
Charles Anderson and Tyler Courtney secured a majority on the board of commissioners for the first time since 1956.
It also appears that Republicans swept all five row offices, defeating four longtime incumbents, according to unofficial election results.
Two-term incumbent Controller Carmen Pedicone, potentially the last Democrat standing, lost by 262 votes to write-in candidate Jeff Balzer.
"We worked so hard for this. It's just going to be a great victory. I am so happy, you don't even know," said Chairwoman Elaine Gowaty of the county Republican Committee. "I think the voters of Westmoreland have spoken in this election."
Incumbent Anderson, 68, of Hempfield, and Courtney, 43, a Hempfield businessman, will take control of the three-person board of commissioners.
Read more: GOP storms Westmoreland Courthouse - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/election/s_766343.html#ixzz1dDoWf2TF
(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...
It is so Democrat that the GOP didn't even bother to nominate a candidate in the County Controller's contest. Pedicone was so good that even our conservative leaning daily endorsed the Democrat. The GOP candidate had to win a ballot spot by waging a write-in campaign.
And still, the county GOP managed to nationalize a local election by tying the top of the ticket to Obama. None of us were expecting a clean sweep in the down ticket row offices. Yes, there is still a chance Pedicone could win in a recount, but very slim.
The Democrats even blanketed our mail boxes over the weekend with fliers quoting our Quisling State GOP Chairman Gleason praising the Democrat candidates. But by now, even what are left of the honest Democrats have to be asking themselves how that Obama thing is working out.
Dem’s (Obama) can’t win without PA in 2012.
Republican’s need to grow and maintain this momentum!
This is very encouraging. Twenty years ago Westmoreland was a growing county and an attractive place to settle in suburban Pittsburgh. Then they started electing a bunch of Democrats who started taxing people out the wazoo. So all that growth moved to Butler and Washington counties.
No such hope for us here in Allegheny County. We are stuck with Rich “Your Company Is A Sweatshop” Fitzgerald for the next four years.
ping
The beauty of this is what it does to the patronage/nepotism machine. So many party hacks are reliant on the political machine for their daily bread. This was a major source of strength for the, ahem, party that had been in power.
His wife is still a judge and will no doubt declare the deal valid and enforceable. But her jurisdiction is limited.
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