It may not have the same high-profile drama as last year’s presidential elections, but Tuesday’s primary elections will feature many races that will impact local governments and the county courthouse.
In some cases, the primaries could potentially predetermine November’s election results.
The Centre County District Attorney’s race features two candidates, both on the Democratic ballot. Write-in votes on the Republican ballot could determine if there is a contested race in November.
In the elections for county judge and magisterial district judge (district 49-02-01) all candidates are cross-filed on both ballots.
In State College, meanwhile four candidates are on the Democratic ballot for mayor but none on the Republican side. For borough council, six Democrats are seeking three seats up for election. Two Republican candidates are on the ballot for borough council, which means they are assured of moving on to the ballot in November.
For State College Area School Board, five cross-filed candidates are seeking four seats up for election.
In the 2015 municipal primary, voter turnout was 15.69 percent, with 13,171 of 83,963 registered voters casting ballots. The general election that year saw a 27.22 percent voter turnout rate. That is contrasted with the 2016 presidential year election, which saw 37 percent of county voters turn out for the primary and 63 percent for the general election.
As of May 2, 107,707 voters are registered in Centre County, according to the county Office of Elections and Voter Registration.
Find your polling location here.
COUNTY
Centre County District Attorney
Democrats
Incumbent Stacy Parks Miller is seeking a third term in office against challenger and trial attorney Bernie Cantorna.
Republicans
None
More on the race for District Attorney here and here.
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas
Cross-filed
With Judge Thomas Kistler set to retire after 20 years on the bench, two candidates are looking to become a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Centre County. Attorneys Ron McGlaughlin and Brian Marshall are both on the Democratic and Republican ballots.
More on the race for County Judge here.
Magisterial District Judge
Cross-filed
Seven candidates are seeking election as Magisterial District Judge for District 49-02-01. Voters in Patton Township, Ferguson Township, Halfmoon Township and parts of College Township (north and west) will choose among Justin Bish, Louis Lombardi, Robert Stewart, Dave White, Casey McClain, Kristin Scipione and Robert Bascom.
More on the race for Magisterial District Judge here.
Another district judge seat in the county is also up for election this year, but is uncontested. Incumbent Allen Sinclair is unopposed for Magisterial District Judge for District 49-03-03, which serves Philipsburg, Port Matilda and Snow Shoe boroughs and Snow Shoe, Burnside, Huston, Rush, Taylor, and Worth townships.
STATE COLLEGE
State College Borough Council
Six Democrats and two Republicans are looking to move on to November’s election for three seats on borough council.
Democrats
On the Democratic side, incumbents Evan Myers and Theresa Lafer hope to retain their seats for a second consecutive four-year term. The challengers are Penn State undergraduate student Rylie Cooper; Penn State student affairs administrator Dan Murphy; recent Penn State master’s degree graduate Marina Cotarelo; and retired human resources executive Steve Mower.
Republicans
On the Republican ballot are Richard Fitzgerald, a senior purchasing agent at Penn State, and Lynn Herman, a former representative of the 77th district in the state house from 1983 through 2006.
More on the race for State College Borough Council here.
State College Mayor
Democrats
Four Democrats are vying to succeed Elizabeth Goreham, who decided not to seek a third term, as Mayor of State College. They include current borough council members Janet Engeman and Catherine Dauler, attorney and former borough council member Don Hahn, and Black Sun Studio owner Michael Black.
Republicans
None.
More on the race for Mayor of State College here.
State College Area School Board of Directors
(Editor’s note: An earlier version of this section incorrectly identified candidate Lori Bedell and incorrectly stated Jim Leous’ length of service on the board. Those errors have been corrected.)
Cross-filed
Five candidates are seeking four State College Area School Board seats up for election. They include three incumbents: David Hutchinson, who is in his 14th year on the board; current board vice president Jim Leous, in his eighth year on the board; and Scott Fozard, who was first elected in 2013.
Also on the ballot are Lori Bedell, a senior lecturer in Penn State’s Department of Communication Arts and Sciences and corporate training consultant and former Juniata College administrator Arnold Tilden.
Watch the Centre County League of Women Voters forum with school board candidates, courtesy of C-NET.
CENTRE REGION TOWNSHIPS
College Township Council
There isn’t much drama to be found in the election for College Township Council. Two seats are up for election and the two candidates currently holding those seats are running unopposed.
Democrat
Incumbent L. Eric Bernier is running unopposed for his seat on council. Bernier was first appointed to fill an unexpired term in 2013 and elected to a full four-year term that began in 2014. He is director of information services for CATA.
Republican
Anthony Fragola was appointed in May 2016 to fill an unexpired term and is running unopposed for election to a full four-year term. He is a small business owner.
Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors
Two at-large supervisor seats are up for election this year, as well as a two-year interim term for a supervisor from Ward 3 (precincts 49 and 50).
Democrats
At-large: Two Democratic candidates are on the ballot — incumbent and current board chair Steve Miller, and WBUS-FM program director Tony Tom Ricciardi
Ward 3: The ward 3 seat is up for a two-year interim term election. After Colleen Unroe was elected to the seat in 2015 and withdrew, Rita Graef was appointed to fill the seat until the next municipal election. Two candidates are now seeking election for that supervisor seat — Mike Radis, who previously served two terms on the board, and Sara Carlson, a research project manager at Penn State.
Republican
Janet Whitaker is running unopposed in the primary as she looks to be re-elected to her at-large supervisor position.
No Republican candidate is on the ballot for the Ward 3 supervisor position.
Watch StateCollege.com editor Geoff Rushton’s C-NET interviews with Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors candidates.
Halfmoon Township
Two seats on the Halfmoon Township Board of Supervisors are up for election, but just one candidate appears on either ballot — Democrat Bob Strouse. The tax collector position also has just one candidate, Republican Brett Laird.
Harris Township Board of Supervisors
Harris Township voters will elect two members of the board of supervisors this year.
Democrats
Incumbent Nigel Wilson, a Harris Township supervisor since 1994, will be seeking another six-year term. He is opposed in the Democratic primary by Richard Frank, a vice president at AccuWeather.
Republicans
Incumbent Charles ‘Bud’ Graham is seeking another six-year term and is opposed in the Republican primary by first-time candidate Matthew Auman
Watch StateCollege.com editor Geoff Rushton’s C-NET interviews with Harris Township Board of Supervisors candidates.
Patton Township Board of Supervisors
Three Patton Township supervisor positions are up for election this year — one a full six-year term and the other a four-year interim term.
Democrats
Six-year term: Dan Trevino, who was appointed to the board last year to fill an unexpired term, will seek a full six-year term. He faces psychologist Jessica Buckland and tax attorney William Burnett in the primary
Four-year term: Betsy Whitman is the sole Democratic candidate running for the four-year interim term.
Republican
Mark Parfitt, an independent marketing and management consultant, is on the Republican ballot for both the full and interim term positions.
Watch StateCollege.com editor Geoff Rushton’s C-NET interviews with Patton Township Board of Supervisors candidates.
STATE JUDGES
Acrosss the Commonwealth voters also will select nominees for judgeships on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Superior Court and Commonwealth Court. More on those races can be found here.
