CHERYL HURT

About 60 concerned Clairton residents, business owners and city officials convened for a town hall meeting on May 16 in an effort to keep the city's only bank—a PNC located at 571 Miller Avenue—open.

“We are all here because we're devastated that PNC is closing. The only bank we have is leaving Clairton," said Cheryl Hurt, president of the Community Economic Development Corporation of Clairton and moderator of the meeting. The bank is set to close on Aug. 16.

HENRY PARHAM

More than 65 years after his participation of service in World War II, one local veteran will get his due honors at an international ceremony in Washington, D.C., as a gesture of gratitude for his personal contributions to the liberation of France.

World War II veteran Henry Parham, who has been named a “Chevalier” of the Legion of Honor, will be honored for his dedication and service in World War II when he receives the award June 6 at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., at the 69th D-Day Anniversary ceremony.

Democratic candidate for Mayor of Pittsburgh, City Councilman Bill Peduto, right, walks with his communications director Sonya Toler between one of his campaign signs and one of his opponents, on his way to vote in the Pennsylvania primary election on Tuesday, May 21, in Pittsburgh.  (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
 

by Peter Jackson
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrats nominated new mayoral candidates in Pittsburgh, Scranton and Harrisburg in the Pennsylvania primary election.

They tapped veteran city Councilman William Peduto as their standard-bearer in Pittsburgh and city Tax Collector Bill Courtright in Scranton, but spurned Harrisburg's first African American and female Mayor Linda Thompson's re-election bid and chose bookstore owner Eric Papenfuse instead on Tuesday.

Each is favored to win in the November election, given Democrats' heavy registration advantage in the three cities. Voters also handed Kim Bracey an apparent second term as mayor of York, where no Republican is running.

Peduto and Courtright both won four-way races that resulted from decisions by incumbent Democratic mayors — Pittsburgh's Luke Ravenstahl and Scranton's Chris Doherty — not to seek re-election. Also Tuesday, Scranton Republicans picked financial consultant Garett Lewis as their nominee in the Nov. 5 general election.

"We stood up and we said our rivers are not seas, and our hills are not mountains, we are one Pittsburgh and we'll fight for a new Pittsburgh and we did it," Peduto said in a speech Tuesday night.

In the only statewide nomination race, Allegheny County Judge Jack McVay Jr. won the Democratic nomination for an open seat on the Superior Court, defeating Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Joseph C. Waters Jr.

Philadelphia Democrats gave city Controller Alan Butkovitz the nod for a third term.

Democrats also retained two vacant seats in the state House of Representatives in special elections that were held Tuesday. Attorney Daniel Mill won the 42nd District seat in Allegheny County while Kevin Schreiber, a York city official, captured the District 95 seat in York County.

Thompson, Harrisburg's first African-American mayor and first female mayor, has had a rocky tenure as chief executive of the financially troubled state capital, the only municipality under a state takeover. She has worked with the city's receiver to negotiate a recovery plan that avoids a bankruptcy filing.

She finished third in a four-way race, behind runner-up Dan Miller, the city controller.

"The people spoke and I respect what the people said tonight," she said Tuesday night.

Papenfuse, who is expected to face at least one independent opponent in the general election, celebrated with supporters at the Harrisburg bookstore that he founded, the Midtown Scholar.

"This city has voted for change in a big way," he said. "This city is ready for change and ready to be united."

Butkovitz overcame two challengers in his bid for a third four-year term as Philadelphia city controller — tax reform advocate Brett Mandel and former city law department attorney Mark Zecca.

In the race for Superior Court, McVay, 56, who is serving his sixth year in Allegheny County's family-court division, will face Vic Stabile, a Harrisburg lawyer who was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Though the other primaries were local, they were the first step toward choosing judges, school board members and municipal officials who make decisions about public schools, local taxes, criminal justice, police protection, road repairs, land use and other governmental actions that can have serious consequences for residents.

"These are the elections that really touch you the most," said Jerry Feaser, the director of elections and voter registration in Dauphin County, which includes Harrisburg, the county seat and the state capital.

UNOFFICIAL ALLEGHENY COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS

Run Date:05/21/13     2013 Municipal Primary
RUN TIME:11:42 PM     Unofficial Results
                    

                                                                          VOTES PERCENT

           PRECINCTS COUNTED (OF 1318)  .  .  .  .     1,318  100.00
           REGISTERED VOTERS - TOTAL .  .  .  .  .   879,183
           REGISTERED VOTERS - REPUBLICAN  .  .  .   238,369   27.11
           REGISTERED VOTERS - DEMOCRATIC  .  .  .   530,196   60.31
           REGISTERED VOTERS - NONPARTISAN .  .  .     7,665     .87
           BALLOTS CAST - TOTAL.  .  .  .  .  .  .   163,125
           BALLOTS CAST - REPUBLICAN .  .  .  .  .    40,076   24.57
           BALLOTS CAST - DEMOCRATIC .  .  .  .  .   122,579   75.14
           BALLOTS CAST - NONPARTISAN.  .  .  .  .       470     .29
           VOTER TURNOUT - TOTAL  .  .  .  .  .  .             18.55
           VOTER TURNOUT - REPUBLICAN.  .  .  .  .             16.81
           VOTER TURNOUT - DEMOCRATIC.  .  .  .  .             23.12
           VOTER TURNOUT - NONPARTISAN  .  .  .  .              6.13

                          ********** (Democratic) **********

          Judge of the Court of Common Pleas
          Vote for not more than  4
              (WITH 1318 OF 1318 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Rosemary Crawford.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    20,908    5.86
           Patrick Connelly .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    32,665    9.16
           Marvin Leibowitz .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    15,676    4.39
           Marc Daffner  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     9,344    2.62
           Barbara Behrend Ernsberger.  .  .  .  .    26,778    7.51
           P. J. Murray  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    32,878    9.22
           Bill Ward  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    20,848    5.84
           Joe Luvara .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    10,993    3.08
           Eleanor Bush  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    35,079    9.83
           Paul E. Cozza .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    39,579   11.10
           Marcia L. Cooper .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    13,748    3.85
           Jennifer Satler  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    48,046   13.47
           Mark V. Tranquilli  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    49,611   13.91
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       534     .15

          Mayor CITYWIDE
          Vote for not more than  1
              (WITH 402 OF 402 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           William Peduto.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    23,597   51.80
           Jake Wheatley .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     3,499    7.68
           Jack Wagner.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    18,060   39.65
           A. J. Richardson .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       294     .65
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       101     .22

          Member of Council DISTRICT 6
          Vote for not more than  1
              (WITH 47 OF 47 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Robert Daniel Lavelle  .  .  .  .  .  .     2,032   53.38
           Franco Dok Harris.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       666   17.49
           Tonya D. Payne.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,101   28.92
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .         8     .21

          Member of Council DISTRICT 8
          Vote for not more than  1
              (WITH 34 OF 34 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Dan Gilman .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     2,949   59.03
           Sam Hens-Greco.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,246   24.94
           Jeanne K. Clark  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       794   15.89
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .         7     .14

          School Director DISTRICT 1
          Vote for not more than  1
              (WITH 52 OF 52 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Sylvia C. Wilson .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     2,491   61.80
           Lucille Prater-Holliday.  .  .  .  .  .     1,525   37.83
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        15     .37

          School Director DISTRICT 3
          Vote for not more than  1
              (WITH 53 OF 53 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Thomas Sumpter.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     3,099   98.32
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        53    1.68

           Magisterial District Judge 05-02-28
          Vote for not more than  1
              (WITH 27 OF 27 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
           Brian Allen Van Dusen  .  .  .  .  .  .       428   20.02
           Oscar J. Petite, Jr..  .  .  .  .  .  .     1,705   79.75
           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .         5     .23

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TAKE A FATHER TO SCHOOL—Frank Battles with daughter, Amaya Springs. (Photo by J.L. Martello)

More than 5,000 were expected to turn out for the Pittsburgh Public School District’s annual Take a Father to School Day this year. And at Weil PreK-5 in the Hill District, school staff said they saw the greatest participation they’ve ever had.

“We’ve never had a turn out like this,” said Princess Hughes, a parent organizer at Weil. “We always get a lot of moms but we’ve never had this many dads.”

Now in it’s 15th year, the nationally recognized event, which received the MAGNA Award from the American School Board Journal, the National School Boards Association and Sodexo last year, was held at schools around the district on May 17. At Weil many of the dads have been involved with the event since it’s inception.