Tomorrow is Election Day and as a dutiful citizen I’ve been trying to get ready by finding out who’s on the ballot and what they plan to do if they are elected. Which let me tell you is not that easy to do. Just to find out what races are on the ballot of my West Chester ward, I had to scroll through 458 pages of ballots.
Then to find any meaningful information on any of the candidates, I had to Google each name individually, dig through the entries and stalk their social – I felt like a jealous girlfriend or someone about to agree to a blind date.
The point is, for all the talk about getting involved in the civic process, they don’t make it easy.
Anyway, I wrote up my notes and I’m sharing them with anyone’s that’s interested. Hopefully this will help you make a (semi) informed decision without having to cyber-stalk.
MAYOR
There are two candidates running for mayor, Diane Herrin is running as a Democrat, Tommy Ciccarone, Jr. as the Republican. Using their campaign sites I was able to pull together a vague profile for each. Unfortunately, as of Sunday night I couldn’t find any independent coverage of the candidates. The Daily Local did interview the three Democratic candidates before the primary but Ciccarone was not included because he won the Republican nomination as a write in candidate.
DIANE HERRIN (Democratic)
Herrin is a long-term resident, a businesswoman with a practice in West Chester, and active member of the community. She currently serves on the Shade Tree Commission and is the President of the Sustainability Committee.
Platform
Improved student relations
She is in favor of improving the relationship with university students through strict enforcement of rental laws and additional policing for noise violations. She also supports continued collaboration West Chester University. Read the full policy here.
Environment preservation
Warner Hotel Cooperative development respectful of history and supporting pedestrian friendly, personal service, local ownership, enhancing quality of life. More on that here.
Growing the local economy
Learn more at: Herrinformayor.com
TOMMY CICCARONE JR (Republican)
Ciccarone is a lifetime resident of West Chester and former Operations Manager of Parkway Dry Cleaners. The father of three is currently involved in real estate.
Platform
Maintaining momentum
Ciccarone is favor of the current direction of the borough and he advocates to keep doing what we’re doing.
Safety
Ciccarone believes a strong police force and government are important in keeping us safe.
Improving Communication
Ciccarone views as stated on his website: “All citizens, visitors, and business owners should always be aware of what is going on in our community, what is coming to our community, and what might be leaving.”
Learn more at: Ciccaroneformayor.com
SCHOOL DIRECTOR
Region 1
Most people in West Chester will be selecting a representative for the West Chester Area School Board. There is only one candidate on the ballot Joyce Chester. Chester is running for her second term on the school board and is currently unopposed.
JOYCE CHESTER (Democratic/Republican)
While there is not much new being said about Chester, I did find this write up in Patch.com about her victory four years ago –
The self-styled “better direction” slate of challengers for West Chester Area School Board defeated three incumbents and one other candidate in voting Tuesday.
MEMBER OF COUNCIL
Four members of Borough Council are up for re-election this cycle. However, all but one is running unopposed. Bill Scott does have a challenger but that challenger, Sue Moran, is not officially on the ballot and is xx on an organized write in campaign. I could not find any “official” campaign information for any of the council candidates so much of this is pulled from
1st ward
BILL SCOTT (Democratic)
Scott is now in his third term on the West Chester Borough Council and previously served a term as its President. Scott is endorsed by the Sierra Club.
SUE MORAN (Independent)
Moran is running as an Independent and as a write in candidate does not officially appear on the ballot but she has helpfully set up a Facebook page in support of her candidacy. According to this page, she is running on a platform of:
- Residential quality of life – Growth must benefit both residents as well as the borough.
- Communication – Keep residents informed, seek out opinions and keep government transparent.
- Fiscal responsibility – Spend tax revenues wisely and adhere to best practices.
3rd Ward
MICHAEL R. GALEY (Democratic)
Galey, a partner in the law firm of Fisher & Philips LLP, a national labor and employment law firm, is another Council incumbent. He is running unopposed.
4th Ward
MIKE STEFANO (Democratic)
Stefano is a West Chester University grad, music teacher and current member of Borough Council. Stefano was selected unanimously to replace Jordan Norley who was tapped to serve as interim mayor. Upon his appointment earlier this year, Stefan said the major issues facing the Borough included, “parking issues, relations with the university and communication.”
5th Ward
W. DONALD BRACELAND (Democratic)
Braceland is running for his second term as a member of Council. During his original campaign four years ago, he campaigned on improving traffic by encouraging more bike riding and improving parking and Lacey St. yard waste drop off sit. Since his original run Braceland is also on record supporting Eli Kahn’s plans for redevelopment of the Mosteller Building.
7th Ward
DENISE M POLK (Democratic)
Polk is a professor and Chair of the Communications Department at West Chester University. She, too, is current Council member. Previously she served on BLUER and the West Nile Virus Task Force. She was also an integral part in setting up a partnership between WCU and the Borough to recycle food waste. To date they have composted over 400 tons of food scraps diverting it from landfills.
MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT JUDGE DISTRICT
Residents in West Chester Wards 3, 6, and 7 will also be asked to vote for a district judge. To quote directly from their campaign signs this is a choice between experience or fresh ideas.
BRET BINDER (Democratic)
A former member of the West Chester School Board, Binder is running on a platform of fresh ideas and greater access. He proposes traveling to schools to hear truancy complaints so students don’t have to miss school and offering extending court hours so people don’t have to choose between going to work and going to court.
Read more about his ideas here.
MARK A BRUNO (Republican)
Bruno is counting on his experience to bring in the votes. Bruno has served 18 years as a district judge. This makes him among the longest serving of any lower court judges in the county, according to a Daily Local write up in January before accepting the endorsement of Chester County Republicans.
JUDGE OF ELECTIONS/INSPECTOR OF ELECTIONS
Residents will also be asked to vote for one each, a Judge of Election and an Inspector of Elections. In all but one case, Inspector of Elections for West Chester – 1, these candidates are running unopposed. They are listed below.
JUDGE OF ELECTIONS:
VERONICA BALASSONE (wc-1)
DARRYL L MCLAIN DEMOCRATIC WC 2-E
ROBERT W HANIWALT WC 2-W
JEAN GROSS WC-3
GEORGE LATHBURY WC-4
JOHN YOUNG WC-5
AGNES CHARLENE WILSON WC-6
MARK RIMPLE WC-7
INSPECTOR OF ELECTIONS
MARY KAY MCCANN DEMOCRATIC (wc-1)
ROSEMARIE MARINELLI (R) (wc-1)
Write in only WC 2-E
DENISE A KENNEDY WC 2-W
SALLY CHRISTY WC-3
CHRISTINE FACCIOLLI WC-4
BILL LOCKARD WC-5
Write in only WC-6
JACK ARMSTRONG WC-7