Feldman holds one-vote lead in D’town Borough Council race
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Mayor Josh Maxwell won reelection, Tuesday, on an Election Day that saw Democrats fare well in Downingtown Borough — although incumbent Ann Feldman holds a narrow one-vote lead pending a recount — but Republicans were strong in local school board races.
In the Downingtown Area School District Board of Education races, Republicans swept the contested races. In Region 4 Republican incumbent Bob Yorczyk beat John Ganski. In Region 6, incumbent Suzanne Divito Simonelli held off Democrat Dawn Richter. In Region 8, Republican Barbara Albright defeated Democrat Jason Benfield. In Region 2, incumbent Barbara Hurt-Simmons ran unopposed.
In Downingtown’s high-profile mayoral race, Maxwell held off Republican Tony Babcock easily, winning by a 67.7% to 31.2% margin.
In what may be the closest race in the county, in the Borough Council East Ward seat race, Democrat Ann Feldman edged Republican Phil Dague, 336 to 335. The race is subject to a recount, and may not be official for some time.
In the West Ward, Democrats Patricia McGlone and Anthony Gazzerro had solid wins over Republicans Brenda Brinton and Tony Babcock (who ran for both Mayor and Borough Council and lost both bids).
In East Brandywine, incumbent Democrat Jay G. Fischer held off Republican Kyle Scribner by just 62 votes for Township Supervisor.
In East Caln, Don Ash ran unopposed and won 98.1% of the vote for supervisor.
In Upper Uwchlan, Republican Guy Donatelli was unchallenged for supervisor and won 97.4% of the vote.
In Uwchlan, Fred Gaines ran unopposed for supervisor, and won 97.6% of the vote.
In Wallace, incumbent supervisor Robert Jones ran unopposed and won 94.5% of the vote.
In West Bradford, Republican Bruce Laverty ran unopposed and got 96.4% of the vote for supervisor.
In West Pikeland, Richard Bright Jr. and Pamela Conti ran unopposed for two seats on the Board of Supervisor and won easily.
Republicans in general fared very well in countywide elections, but local and school board races told a somewhat different story, as Democrats won seats on some of local school boards and local government bodies in Tuesday’s elections.
Based on unofficial numbers from Chester County Voter Services, turnout was fairly light, with just 22.7% of registered voters casting ballots county-wide.
In the county-wide races for row offices and Court of Common Pleas, the GOP won an easy sweep. Patrick Carmody and Jeffrey Sommer held off Julia Malloy-Good for two spots on the Court of Common Pleas. In the row office races, incumbent Republican county treasurer Ann Duke easily defeated Democrat Nina Haslip, and GOP newcomers Norman MacQueen (Comptroller), Robin Marcello (Clerk of Courts), Gordon Eck (Coroner) won election over the Democratic slate of Carmen Boyd, Tisha Brown and Howard Jones.
The four county judges on the ballot for retention, Jacqueline Carroll Cody, Edward Griffith, John Hall and James P. MacElree II all won bids for retention on the Court of Common Pleas.
