Uncontested primaries still have implications for Murrysville, Export and Delmont
Share this post:
While the Murrysville Star’s coverage area included several non-competitive primaries, those elections — and one lack of an election in particular — hold several implications for Murrysville, Export and Delmont moving forward.
Murrysville
In Murrysville, where three seats are in play, incumbent Mac McKenna (34%) will move ahead to the general election alongside fellow Republicans Eli Diacopoulos (31%) and Matthew Olszewski (35%).
Incumbent Republicans Tony Spadaro and Jamie Lee Korns did not seek reelection.
Newcomer Diacopoulos is retired after three decades with Philips Respironics, and after speaking with State Rep. Jill Cooper, decided to run for council.
“I felt it was a good time to give back to a community that’s served my family so well,” he said.
Mayor Regis Synan is still waiting to find out if he will appear on the general election ballot, after his office was left off the primary ballot.
“We’re still waiting for the judge to decide,” Synan said.
After filing for reelection, Synan was informed by Westmoreland County elections officials that he’d been certified for a four-year term following his 2021 election win. In a 2021 candidate list that remains available on the county’s website, Synan’s office is listed as having a two-year term.
It puts Murrysville officials in a difficult position — if the mayor’s position is not among the offices in the general election, the municipality would essentially be without a mayor in 2024, in violation of its municipal charter.
“The elections office wouldn’t budge, so we asked the judge to put me on the fall (general election) ballot,” Synan said.
Export
In Export, with three council seats in play, incumbents Democrat John Nagoda and Republican David Silvis both ran unopposed. Silvis, however, was outpaced in the Republican primary by write-in votes, 48-45.
And while they won’t keep Silvis from advancing to the general election, the Republican write-ins, along with 28 more on the Democratic ballot, are encouraging news to incumbent Joe Ferri, who missed the election filing deadline and ran a write-in campaign.
“I’m hoping I got enough to make it onto the ballot,” he said.
A full breakdown of write-in voting will be released once county officials certify Tuesday’s results.
Delmont
In Delmont, with three seats in play, Republican incumbent Chris Bigley took the top spot with 47% of the vote, to newcomer Krista Krautbauer’s 46%.
The borough’s 45 Democratic and 34 Republican write-in votes could also play a role in determining a potential third candidate for the general election.
Incumbents David Weber and Becky Matesevac did not run for reelection.