Incumbents, GOP do well at polls

MILFORD — The unofficial results of the Nov. 6 elections produced three new conservative faces to appear on the Delaware Valley School District board in December. In county races, a new County Judge, Greg Chelak, was elected unopposed and Pike Republicans recovered from last year’s Democratic landslide. An often heated campaign for five seats on the Delaware Valley School Board yielded victories for all three candidates fielded by the Taxpayers United group. Diane French led all vote-getters, followed by incumbents Sue Casey and John Wroblewski. Two other Taxpayers United candidates, John Kupillas and John Wladar, won narrower victories over incumbent Frankie Colletta and challenger Sue Schor. The election produces a new 6-3 majority for candidates either aligned with Taxpayers United or generally voting conservative. Departing incumbents include Colletta, Jack Fisher, who lost in the May primary, and Bell Hodges Smith, who chose not to seek reelection. The new board to be formed in December already seats three members, Robert Goldsack, Deborah DuCharme and Ed Silverstone, who in the past have regularly formed the minority on tax and new spending issues. In the county races, all three incumbent commissioners, Republicans Harry Forbes, Richard Caridi, and Democrat Karl Wagner, won re-election. In conceding, Democratic commissioner challenger Ileana Hernandez blamed the candidates, media and political parties for not doing enough to get voters to the polls. “The top vote-getter in the commissioner’s race will retain his seat with the support of roughly 13 percent of registered voters. The top vote-getter in the DV school board race will take her seat with slightly more than 10 percent. If those figures do not frighten us all, they should,” Hernandez wrote. Unopposed Republican district attorney candidate Raymond Tonkin was elected. Appointed incumbent County Treasurer John Gilpin, a Republican, won a four-year term. Appointed incumbent Prothonotary Denise Fitzpatrick, also Republican, handily defeated Democrat Michael Meachem. Republican Sharon Schroeder defeated Democrat Andrea Filone for the open Recorder of Deeds/Register of Wills post. Incumbent Auditors Ann Seaman and Tom Foran, both Republicans, and Democrat Missy Strub, were re-elected. In Dingman Township, appointed incumbent Supervisor Republican Kerry Welsh defeated challenger Jesse Tashlik for a six-year term in the only contested race. In Milford Township, Republicans Phillip Barletto and Don Quick were elected unopposed for six- and four-year supervisors slots, respectively. In Milford Borough, Borough President Matthew Osterberg, a Republican, was elected unopposed for a new two-year council seat. Two of four four-year council seats went to incumbent Republicans Robert “Bo” Fean and Norman “Red” Helms, and the other two went to appointed incumbent Democrat Ed Raarup and Republican Linda Fean, who won in an apparent tie, each taking 156 votes. Linda Fean’s and Raarup’s seats were initially and incorrectly reported on Pikecountycourier.com as a tie for one seat. For more on Tuesday’s elections, go to http://www.pikepa.org/Elections/2007general.htm.