Cove Voters Cast Ballots for School Board and Municipal Seats

There were few surprises in the Nov. 4 general election as most incumbents held on to their seats, although voters sent a clear message to some that those seats are hot.

Freedom Township voters showed they are happy with the status quo by sending Republican Ed Bender back to the board of supervisors for another six years with a landslide victory over Democrat Jeremy Flaugh. Republican Timothy James, running unopposed, secured a two-year term to join Bender and Maureen Hamor at the table.

Roaring Spring voters overwhelmingly gave the nod to former councilman Dennis Igou over challenger Derek Brown for a four-year term as Mayor.

Republicans Kayla Reed, Kevin Snowberger and Craig Curfman were elected to fill three of the four open seats on borough council. Reed and Snowberger will be returning to the table with Curfman as the newcomer.

With just three candidates for four open seats, the top write-in candidate will secure a spot. Unofficial totals give the edge to Mary Claycomb with eight write-in votes while Derek Martin is second with seven. Two empty seats were up for grabs when long-time council members Sue Ann Feather and Jeffery Steward did not seek reelection.

In Martinsburg Borough, voters selected four Republicans by voting in Charles Kensinger, Edward Bennett, James Dell and Janet Blattenberger for four-year terms while Republican Durban Metzler secured a two-year term. Kensinger, Bennett, and Durban are incumbents, while Blattenberger, a former council member, returns after a four year hiatus.

Democrat Neil Gartland, who was appointed to council last year to fill the unexpired term of David Harker, failed in his bid to win his seat outright. Ken Johnson was the other Democrat on the ticket.

Mayor Richard Brantner ran unopposed, securing another term.

In the race for Williamsburg Borough Council, Democrat Jonathan Detwiler was the odd man out as Republicans Bruce Hamilton, Paula Hamilton, Edgar Patterson, and Dennis Hammel secured four-year seats. There were no candidates on the ballot for a two-year term, but Detwiler and Paula Hamilton unofficially garnered three write-in votes each.

Republican Ted Hyle was unopposed and will secure another term as Mayor.

The race for school board seats in Spring Cove and the Williamsburg Community School District were hotly contested as write-in candidates in both districts hoped to tap into voter anger over the mask mandate.

The aggressive write-in campaigns paid off for three of the four candidates in Williamsburg, while the three running in Spring Cove came up short.

Unofficial results show write-in candidate Joseph Detwiler easily defeating incumbent Marion Pheasant Jr. by a nearly 2-1 margin to represent Williamsburg Borough on the Williamsburg Community School District Board of Directors.

There were no candidates on the ballot to represent Woodbury Township for a four-year seat on the board, but write-in Jill Norris has apparently garnered enough votes to secure the seat.

Republican Timothy Strohmeyer, the lone candidate on the ticket for a two-year term on the board out of Woodbury Township, was defeated by write-in candidate Adam Hileman. Catharine Township will be represented on the board by Republicans Benjamin Postles and Louis Brenneman, who staved off a write-in challenge from GayDawn Kagarise.

Voters in Spring Cove sent Chuck Gojmerac, Amy Acker-Knisely, Linda Kay Smith, and John R. Biddle back to the school board for four-year terms.

A fierce write-in campaign by Brenda Frederick, Kevin Smith, and Travis Ott produced a respectable showing but couldn’t overcome the four names on the ballot.

Each write-in candidate for Spring Cove school board garnered over 1,000 votes, with just 308 votes separating the lowest vote getter on the ballet, Biddle, from the highest write-in vote getter, Frederick.

Gojmerac was the only candidate to top more than 2,000 votes.

Gojmerac also won the contest for a two-year term on the board and will have to choose which seat to fill. Frederick garnered 689 write-in votes for the seat but since Gojmerac won, the board will appoint someone to fill whichever seat Gojmerac doesn’t take.

Vote totals are unofficial until certified.