By: Elena Caputo
Perhaps the most surprising election came out of the race for the Recorder of Deeds office. Incumbent Fred Sheeler lost his position to newcomer Mary Kozak in close vote (49-51%). Sheeler, a Democrat who had been the Recorder of Deeds since 2008, garnered 35,512 votes, less than 2,000 votes away from Kozak’s 37,305 votes.
Sheeler has since attributed his loss to party affiliation. As he had during his campaign, Sheeler said again in his post-election statement that Kozak has “no knowledge of what the position entails,” which is why he believed that the election came down to straight ticket voting. Across Berks County, 54% of ballots cast Tuesday were "straight ticket." Republican straight tickets accounted for 28% of the overall vote, while Democratic straight tickets were 25% of the overall vote. There is also a newcomer on the County Board of Commissioners, the main governing body of Berks County. In elections for county commissioner, the top three contenders win seats on the board. According to complete but unofficial results, Republican incumbent Christian Leinbach received the most support with over 38,000 votes, and newcomer Michael Rivera follows close behind with more than 34,000 votes. The third seat went to Democrat Kevin Barnhardt, another incumbent of the board. Democrat Donna Reed, who serves on the Reading City Council currently, finished in a close fourth place. Leinbach and Rivera, who ran as a team, are very pleased with the results of the election. They are ready for the job ahead of them, Leinbach and Rivera commented. Rivera, who will be the first Latino to serve on the board, is glad that the election is over. “It was a real nail-biting experience there for a while," he explained. "But I'm definitely very happy with the way things turned out." One thing that all three commissioners can agree on, however, is that they are hopeful that voter turnout will keep rising. "I was pleased, but not satisfied," Barnhardt said during the commissioners' weekly meeting on the Thursday following the election. "The turnout was higher than we expected at 30%. It certainly should be 100%." Barnhardt also took the time to commend the county's elections services staff and the 1,200 poll workers who organized the polling places the entire day. An interesting point to mention is that students can also help as poll workers, as many Wilson High School upperclassmen did, such as seniors Adith Gopal and Renee Nardy did. Another Wilson connection to this year’s elections comes from Kelly McDonough, a civics and AP US Government & Politics teacher at the high school. McDonough got involved in the first place to practice what she preaches to her students: the importance of being involved in your community, especially at the local level. McDonough ran on a platform of environmental sustainability and community involvement. While McDonough ultimately lost her election, she was glad for the opportunity. Many of the other elected offices were won by the incumbent, however. Republican James P. Troutman remains the Clerk of Courts after defeating Democrat Andrea Jefferson 40,716 to 32,074, and Berks County Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht keeps his post for another four years despite a tough race between him and Democrat Bart Ganster, who has been a Berks County constable since 1997. Republican Sandra Graffius won after an unopposed run for Berks County Controller, Democrat John T. Adams was given another term as District Attorney, and Larry Medalgia saved his seat as the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans’ Court.
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Co-Editor - Adith GopalHello, readers! My name is Adith, and I am a senior and current Co-Editor of the Wilson Paw Print. I hope you can enjoy getting informed on some current news here at Wilson and abroad! If you have any questions about myself or the newspaper as a whole, email me at [email protected]! Co-Editor- Alexa MonosMy name is Alexa Monos and I am a co-editor of the Wilson Paw Print. If you have any questions or ideas about the newspaper or wish to get involved email me at
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