Election Postscript – Readin’, ‘Ritin, Repudiation, Resolve, Renewal

I’ve known some luminous people in my time, and what distinguished them was their enduring enthusiasm and hopes and aspirations, and I recommend the same to you. When I was your age, I learned the arts of sarcasm and ridicule, and as a young writer aimed for a dark neurotic brilliance, but as an old man I look around and see splendor and bravery and genius and kindness and that, my dears, is the real story.

– Garrison Keillor, December 31, 2021

Happy New Year.

The above quotation was from a column that was among the best things I came across this holiday season. The other was the Kennedy Center Honors tribute to Joni Mitchell, which included an extraordinary performance of Ms. Mitchell’s contribution to Christmas songs.

——

Election fraud conspiracies have for me become a “non-issue” issue, because to embrace it requires one to abandon reason, respect for established processes, and the numbers themselves, as many in the Republican Party seem to have done, and in much the same way that many have also abandoned science with regard to the pandemic, masks, and vaccinations. This has a local connection, as the son of Jonas Salk had some interesting things to say about that last month.

The New Yorker reported in August that there are more sinister forces at work behind this seeming departure from good sense. The Editorial Board of the New York Times made it abundantly clear that they are very concerned about continued attempts to subvert voting rights at the state level, calling it “an existential threat” to American democracy.

The Times also quoted President Benjamin Harrison from an 1891 speech that warned of the same thing that many Republican-controlled state houses are attempting today –

The Constitution guarantees to all Americans a republican form of government, Harrison said. ‘The essential features of such a government are the right of the people to choose their own officers’ and to have their votes counted equally in making that choice. ‘Our chief national danger,’ he continued, is ‘the overthrow of majority control by the suppression or perversion of popular suffrage.’ If a state legislature were to succeed in substituting its own will for that of its voters, ‘it is not too much to say that the public peace might be seriously and widely endangered’.

The current President also made his feelings on the subject very clear in his speech yesterday –

To me, the true patriots are the more than 150 (million) Americans who peacefully expressed their vote at the ballot box. The election workers who protected the integrity of the vote and the heroes who defended this Capitol. You can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t obey the law only when it’s convenient. You can’t be patriotic when you embrace and enable lies.

State Attorney General Josh Shapiro has also made it quite clear that he won’t stand for any attempts to “audit” the 2020 Pennsylvania election results. Good for him. I wish Mr. Shapiro well in his campaign for Governor, even though I feel he is at his best where he is.

I feel the same way about former Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner. She resigned her office this week to become a judge of Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. She joins a number of other Democratic candidates, many with a reform agenda, that swept the general election for judgeships.

Ms. Wagner expressed herself about county government and its future in a Public Source op-ed published just before Christmas. It’s worth your time.

The elections in our immediate local area provided their fair share of drama in advance of the actual vote, and a little bit afterward. Some are noteworthy for their importance to the future of their respective jurisdictions, and the services they provide to citizens. Some may just be the tip of the iceberg of even further divisiveness, unless cooler heads prevail.

Here are some worth mentioning.

Quaker Valley School Board – Staying the Course, Rough Seas Ahead?

What was arguably the most visible, impassioned, and expensive local election in some time (in terms of the advertising dollars for all those full-page Herald ads) culminated in all three candidates endorsed by QV Strong being elected.

Given the polarizing nature of the issues being debated, along with some stock conservative talking points (taxes, curriculum) thrown into the mix, it was not surprising that most of the three regional races were tight ones. The lone exception was Region 2, where Stratton Nash easily fended off what had appeared to be a robust write-in effort by Doug Jones.

The Herald continued to refuse to recognize the existence of Mr. Jones’ campaign – I wonder how their reporting might have reflected a hypothetical Jones victory, seemingly out of nowhere when there was actually quite the well-oiled machine behind the effort. Bad form.

Kati Doebler defeated Heather Saftner by just under 100 votes out of almost 2200 total cast in Region 3.

The closest result was in Region 1, where a 3-way race for two seats was decided by a margin of 4 votes. Incumbents Daniela Sauro Helkowski and Jonathan Kuzma retained their seats over challenger Brett Williams.

A total of 9 votes separated all three candidates out of 2,256 votes cast. This total also included 65 write-in votes that could have swung the election in any number of ways had they been cast for any of the three candidates on the ballot.

The Quaker Valley board re-organized in early December, and re-affirmed Mr. Kuzma as their choice for board President.

In mid-December QVSD sent a three -page letter to all district residents. Signed by Superintendent Tammy Andreyko and Board President Kuzma, the letter provides an overview of the district’s efforts over the last 20 years, and includes additional justification for their decision to build new.

The letter also appears to be an attempt to firmly establish, in an authoritative tone, the district’s position in the wake of the election results –

It is now time to fulfill our obligation to the students of Quaker Valley and how we plan to deliver our programs and mission for decades to come.

It is time to educate and empower all learners to design their best future in a facility that meets their needs.

Supporting this project advances the legacy of our school district. We must be laser focused on carrying this effort over the finish line.

For me, this translates to –

• The people have spoken.
• What some of you want is not going to happen.
• Stop this nonsense and come together for the sake of our students.

While I’m not sure if these election results constitute a decisive mandate to pursue the district’s agenda, Quaker Valley clearly appears emboldened enough by the results to continue that pursuit. Whether Citizens for a Great School and others are willing to line up behind the board remains to be seen, and there is still the matter before the Leet Township Zoning Hearing Board to consider.

Per the township home page the zoning board “will deliberate and decide the case” on February 9 and if needed, February 15. The township website also contains links to considerable information, including the variance application and traffic studies.

Leet Township Commissioners – A Widening Divide?

The race for Leet Commissioner was extremely close as well, with only 12 votes separating the top 3 candidates for two available seats, with 1027 total votes cast.

Newcomers Rody Nash and Daniel Peluso were elected to those seats, with Mr. Peluso edging incumbent and Commission President Donna Adipietro by a mere 4 votes. Write -in votes could have also been a factor in this race, with 76 cast.

This result also generated the only court filing for a recount in Allegheny County for the general election. Under Pennsylvania election law –

Three qualified electors of the county must file a verified petition alleging that, upon information which they consider reliable, they believe that fraud or error, although not manifest on the general return of votes, was committed in the canvassing of the votes cast on the machine. – 25 Pa. Stat. § 3262

 

A total of six voters, three from each of Leet’s two voting districts, submitted petitions to Common Pleas Court. It seemed clear from the information on the petitions that this effort was undertaken by supporters of Ms. Adipietro – her husband was one of the voters submitting a petition, and the court filing was prepared and filed by her daughter, a Pittsburgh attorney.

In accordance with established law, Judge Joseph James ordered a recount, which was conducted on December 15 and affirmed the previous vote totals.

Contacted shortly afterward, Ms. Adipietro expressed her appreciation for the efficiency and professionalism of the recount process, even while disappointed in the confirmed outcome. She also stated a commitment to continued involvement in government as a private citizen, and added more in a personal Facebook post on December 28 –

Leet Township has been divided into two districts for voting purposes since at least 1929 – back then, Camp Meeting Road served as the boundary. Today’s boundary is defined by the Fair Oaks neighborhood along Main Street and Ambridge Avenue. Fair Oaks is Leet’s original and oldest population center, and home to the seat of township government and most of its critical services.

Leet Township with voting district boundaries indicated. Click to enlarge. – Allegheny County GIS

The voting district boundary also follows the geographic divide between Fair Oaks and the remainder of the township along Camp Meeting and Little Sewickley Creek Roads, connected by Beaver Road through Leetsdale and Turkeyfoot Road in Bell Acres. This divide is also represented by postal zones and telephone area codes.

Comments and observations from Ms. Adipietro and others suggest that this divide is not only geographic, but sociopolitical as well. Included with this were reports of citizens engaged in electioneering outside the District 2 polling place, adding with their campaign literature information about which candidates lived “on the hill“, loosely defined as the neighborhoods off of Camp Meeting Road. Mr. Nash resides in Quaker Heights, Mr. Peluso in the Buhlmont plan.

Other anecdotal information provided from those engaged in neighborhood campaign activities alleged that at least one District 2 resident felt that residents “on the hill” should control the commissioner seats “because we pay more in taxes“.

District 2 accounted for 72 percent of the votes cast in the commissioner race. Despite this, the race this year was very close. This may be an indication that any perceived animus between voting districts may not directly translate to the ballot box.

Screen Capture from Daniel Peluso campaign website, 12/30/21. Click to enlarge.

Mr. Peluso states above that the neighborhoods around the proposed high school site need “better and equitable representation“, while at the same time stating on his website –

I happen to live on the “hilltop” of our diverse and unique geography. A “hilltop” is exactly what it sounds like. The top of a hill.
It is not a divisive term. My goal as Leet commissioner is to better advocate on behalf of all of my fellow Leet Township residents.

Hopefully Mr. Peluso, Mr. Nash, and the remainder of the board will be able to apply both sentiments to serve their entire constituency fairly and equitably. Mr. Nash was actually appointed to the commission not long after the election, to fill the expiring term of James Janaszek, who resigned.

Mr. Nash joined Mr. Peluso in being sworn in on Monday as the board reorganized. Commissioner Martin McDaniel, a former Sewickley and Edgeworth Borough manager, was elected President, with Carolyn Verszyla Vice President. Both of these commissioners reside in Quaker Heights.

This new board also had on their Monday agenda another resignation, that of commissioner Erica Oslick. Ms. Adipietro stated that she has submitted her name for consideration to fill Ms. Oslick’s unexpired term. The establishment of a one-person vacancy board to coordinate the filling of that seat is now slated to be discussed this coming Monday. The township has advertised both positions on their website.

So as it stands today, all current sitting commissioners reside within District 2, with the possibility of a fifth being added. It will be interesting to see what kind of maneuvering will take place as this process moves forward.

It’s clear to me that the Fair Oaks area deserves representation on the board in some fashion, with as little backroom politics as possible.

Should there be continued divisiveness (real or perceived) between these two distinct parts of the township, there are potential statutory remedies that may appear attractive to aggrieved township residents outside of the next election cycle.

One is the section of the First Class Township Code that deals with establishing wards within a township, and electing commissioners representing those wards instead of at large, or a combination of both.

Other, more drastic options were mentioned by the excellent Sewickley Valley Stories and More Facebook page in a recent post, which detailed the interesting practices of bordering municipalities in our area during the mid-20th Century, and how some of our local municipal entities became what they are today.

Information on current law and procedure shows these avenues still exist, with some changes over the years. The carving of Pennsbury Village Borough from Robinson Township in the 1970s is one of the most recent examples, but we are also witnessing another process in the current news cycle, with residents of Wilkinsburg Borough seeking to be annexed into the City of Pittsburgh.

Considering the above, it’s theoretically possible for the residents of Fair Oaks to create their own borough, or petition adjacent Leetsdale Borough for annexation.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to anything approaching that.

Sewickley – Waves of Change, Blue and Otherwise?

Most noteworthy in the Sewickley Borough council races was the defeat of incumbent Republican Council President Jeff Neff, who had sought re-election in Ward 3 against Democrats Donna Korczyk and Anne Willoughby.

Both women won seats, as incumbent Republican Larry Rice did not seek re-election, opting instead to run for Tax Collector. He was defeated by incumbent Democrat Joshua Munn. Democrat Mayor George Shannon, appointed in 2020 after Brian Jeffe resigned, was unopposed for election.

In Ward 1, incumbent Republican Sean Figley and Craig Waller were defeated by Democrat Todd Hamer and Independent Brian Bozzo. Mr. Bozzo was appointed this past July to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Christine Allen.

In Ward 2, incumbent Republican Todd Renner won re-election. His son Edward, also running for a Ward 2 seat, was defeated by Democrat Bridgett Bates. She will fill the seat held by Ed Green, who was appointed in 2020 to fill the unexpired term of Hendrik van der Vaart and did not seek election in his own right.

This corner has reported on several issues in Sewickley over the years – as much as I’d like to speculate, it’s really unknown what combination of action, inaction, omission, or direction caused the kind of interest among voters in replacing as many of the incumbents as they did.

The new Sewickley council, comprised of a majority of Democrats and a majority of women, re-organized last Monday, with councilors Cynthia Mullins as President and Julie Barnes as Vice President. Ms. Mullins has distinguished herself by her effective board leadership of the soon-to-be-dead-again Sewickley Parking Authority.

Among the priorities expressed by these and other council members to the Herald this week included “some big projects including steep slopes, blighted properties, getting the wastewater treatment plan across the finish line and rebuilding borough staff“.

Council also acted in December to change solicitors, ending their relationship with Richard Tucker after approximately 18 years, according to the December 15 Herald story.

In early December, Larry Rice applied to the Planning Commission regarding filling a vacancy on the board. Two weeks later, Council had on its agenda Mr. Rice’s nomination to serve on the commission at least until the end of this year.

So at least one of the departing incumbents has found a place in borough government. It’s reasonable to anticipate that Mr. Neff and Mr. Figley (whose wife chairs the Historic Review Commission) may do the same.

Leetsdale – Hope For Something New…and Old

Back here at home, Leetsdale also reorganized this past Monday, with three new Council members and a new Mayor – all women.

Beth Carroll, Patricia Lee, and Maria Napolitano all won election along with incumbent Osman Awad, besting Elizabeth Surmacz and incumbent Benjimen Frederick. Incumbent Thomas Michael was defeated in the May primary election, and Thomas Belcastro opted to run for Tax Collector, and was elected to that position. Ms. Lee was elected Council President, Ms. Napolitano Vice President.

Sandra Ford, wife of Magisterial District Judge Robert Ford, was elected Mayor after defeating incumbent Peter Poninsky in the primary.

Many of these candidates ran on the platform of Transparency – Integrity – Community. These may sound like lofty ideals, but they are essential components of a healthy government that can earn the trust of its citizens. Over the years, Leetsdale council has at times struggled with these, and the pandemic only added to the difficulties.

Campaign sign with tagline.

Looking around our neighborhood is evidence enough for me of the constancy of change. Many of the long-term residents we knew have passed on, and in some cases their old houses have been replaced with new construction. There remains, however, a core of people who have spent all or nearly all of their lives here.

Combined with some of us who are relative newcomers, along with those who have literally just arrived, we have a chance to come together to make something out of the well-worn patchwork fabric that makes up all of our neighborhoods.

Viewed through the lens of the pandemic and our tenuous political climate, President Biden said it well yesterday-

With rights come responsibilities. The responsibility to see each other as neighbors. Maybe we disagree with that neighbor, but they’re not an adversary. The responsibility to accept defeat, then get back in the arena and try again the next time to make your case. The responsibility to see that America is an idea. An idea that requires vigilant stewardship.

The new council members identified several priorities during their campaigns – improved communication, reinvigorate community assets such as parks and recreation programs, and promoting positive relationships and inclusion.This includes the borough’s signature event, somewhat muted by the pandemic – the annual 4th of July celebration.

WordPress tells me this is the 600th post that I’ve published in a little over 15 years. I’m still looking forward to participating, observing, and reporting.

Best wishes for a healthier, more optimistic year ahead.