All three incumbent Centre County commissioners will be on the ballot in November’s election, and they’ll be joined by another candidate looking to make a return to the board.
Incumbent Steve Dershem was the leading Republican vote getter in Tuesday’s primary election, ahead of runner-up Chris Exarchos, who will join him as a GOP nominee in the general election. Dershem had 6,336 votes with nearly all of the county’s 91 precincts reporting. Exarchos had 4,227. They finished ahead of Pat Romano Jr. (3,451), Vicki Wedler (3,049) and Tanner Day (1,488).
Vote totals are unofficial until certified.
The other two incumbents, Michael Pipe and Mark Higgins, had no opponents in the Democratic primary and advanced to the general election.
County row office races were all unopposed in the primary.
Exarchos will be seeking his third stint as commissioner, having previously served from 2004-2007 and 2012-2015. A founder of several area businesses, he owns and operates a farm in Marion Township. Exarchos said he wants to encourage business and economic development in the county to create jobs while maintaining quality of life in the area. He cited his leadership experience, particularly budget management and decision-making, during his time as commissioner and previously on College Township Council.
Dershem is running for his fifth term on the board, having first been elected in 2003 and serving as board chair during his third term. He has pointed to a wide range of accomplishments during his tenure, from rural resources to infrastructure improvements to expanded services for seniors and vulnerable residents. He also noted his work to make Centre County safer and financially sound, with no tax increase for the past nine years.
His current fellow commissioners, Pipe and Higgins, have run a joint campaign for reelection. Pipe, the current board chair, is seeking a third term, while Higgins is running for a second.
Higgins and Pipe cited the commissioners’ accomplishments over the past three years, including efforts to battle the opioid crisis, safeguard elections, invest in job creation and support first responders. Like Dershem, they touted no county tax increase during their times in office They also said the county has increased transparency and funded libraries and transportation safety projects at record levels while investing millions in 911 improvements, increasing services for seniors and veterans and boosting entrepreneurs and small businesses.
