Presumed Centre County commissioner nominees Steve Dershem and Chris Exarchos, both Republicans, plan to run separate campaigns leading up to the November general election, the men said.
But they also expect their election efforts will cross paths and be mutually supportive of each other, they told StateCollege.com.
‘In the sense that we’re both Republicans, we’re going to run on the same team as much as the Democrats are,’ Exarchos said. ‘But I imagine we’re going to run our own, individual campaigns. … We obviously have to sell ourselves.’
Similarly, Dershem said that ‘we’ll be running separate campaigns. But certainly the Republican Party and Chris and I will be working in concert to will the election in the fall. I think it’s pretty clear that we have a very good relationship, having worked together for four years previously. … Chris and I have a pretty strong record of working well together.’
Dershem, of Bellefonte, and Exarchos, of College Township, were elected as commissioners in 2003 and served concurrent four-year terms through 2007. Exarchos was the commissioners board chairman during that period.
Dershem was reelected to a second term in 2007 and is running this year as an incumbent. Exarchos was not reelected in 2007, however, and went on to run for a U.S. House seat in 2008.
He was unsuccessful in that Congressional bid. But in running again for a county seat this year, Exarchos secured enough votes — 4,776 in all — to win one of the two Republican county-commissioner nominations in the May 17 primaries, an unofficial tally shows. Dershem came in first in the eight-candidate field, winning 5,586 votes, according to the unofficial count.
Those counts are expected to be formalized Thursday at a county elections-board meeting in Bellefonte.
The presumed Democratic nominees for county commissioner, incumbent commissioners board Chairman Jon Eich and challenger Michael Pipe, both of State College, are open to campaigning together, they have told StateCollege.com. Pipe’s position on the November general-election ballot now appears more solid after a recount last week reaffirmed his narrow lead over incumbent Democratic commissioner Rich Rogers in the May 17 primaries.
Members of the three-seat commissioners board hold the positions on a full-time basis, are paid about $70,000 a year and serve four-year terms. All three seats are in play this year.
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