Cantorna Running Unopposed in Primary for District Attorney

Candidates are set for the May 18 municipal primary election, and among Centre County-wide offices only one race is contested.

March 9 was the deadline to file nomination petitions and Tuesday was the last day to file challenges to petitions. Candidates cast lots for ballot positions on Wednesday.

District Attorney Bernie Cantorna will be running unopposed as he seeks a second term in office. He is the only candidate on the Democratic ballot and no one filed to appear on the Republican ballot.

Cantorna first won election in 2017 when he handily defeated incumbent Stacy Parks Miller in the Democratic primary and ran unopposed on the ballot in the general election.

“During my first term, our office has worked diligently to restore public trust by building a dedicated team of staff and lawyers who work hard every day to hold the guilty accountable, protect the innocent and preserve the dignity of victims and their families,” he said in a statement announcing his reelection bid.

“If elected to a second term, my primary focus will be to ensure that our community is kept safe and that we continue to work toward solutions that solve the underlying issues that bring people to court.”

For magisterial district judge, Greg Koehle, of College Township is the only candidate vying to succeed retiring Judge Tom Jordan in district 49-3-04, which is located in Centre Hall and also covers Millheim Borough, Harris, Gregg, Haines, Miles, Penn and Potter townships, and parts of College and Spring townships.

Koehle is cross-filed on the Democratic and Republican ballots. Like Jordan, he is a former State College police officer, having served 12 years with the department. He has been a professor of criminal justice at Lock Haven University since 2011.

“I have always held public service in high regard, as evidenced by my careers in criminal justice and education,” Koehle said. “I would like to be directly involved in the administration of justice locally. Centre County is a great place to live and I would like to fulfill a role in maintaining this. I believe that this desire, along with my professional experience, education, community service, and life experience make me an excellent candidate for … district judge.”

Democratic Jury Commissioner is the only countywide primary race with more than one candidate.

Laura Shadle, of Bellefonte, is seeking election after being appointed to the position in early 2020 to fill the remaining two years of former Jury Commissioner Jason Moser’s term, following his election as county controller.

She is joined on the Democratic ballot by Shelley Thompson, a Pine Glen resident and former elected Burnside Township auditor who currently volunteers in the jury commissioners’ office.

Hope Miller is running unopposed for a fourth term as Republican jury commissioner.

Two jury commissioners — one Democrat and one Republican — are elected to four year terms to administer the criminal and civil jury selection process, and both are up for election this year.

Candidates have until March 24 to withdraw from the primary ballot.