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The Back mountain region of Luzerne County has been a Republican stronghold for as long as I can remember but in this past election the Democrats had some notable successes.
Election 2011 proved to be an election of change in the 2nd District, with candidates making history and voters sending a message.
In Dallas Township, the heart of the natural gas debate, Democrat Liz Martin was elected Supervisor, beating a Republican incumbent in a Republican town that held that position since Dwight Eisenhower was president, and the first woman to hold the post. A critic of the gas industry, Liz vowed to preserve our environment, protect the integrity of our drinking water, and stop the industrial exploitation of our land at the expense of public safety. In short, the people of Dallas won on election night, and the gas companies lost.
At Harvey's Lake, Democrats took a majority of the seats up for election for borough Council, with Michell'e Boice, Ed Kelly, and Thomas Kehler leading the charge. Natural gas played a significant role in this race, as well; The voters sent a message to the GOP-controlled Council that passed a weak, watered-down ordinance in October -- while having rejected a stronger, more substantive ordinance in March -- by electing Boice, Kelly, and Kehler, signaling that they want their water protected and free from contamination.
Both races were the proverbial ball game in the 2nd District, and the results go to show that solid, progressive candidates with the interests of the middle class and working families at heart will always triumph over regressive, corporate-backed politcs.
Finally, the biggest 2nd District winner of election night was Harvey's Lake's own Jennifer Rogers, receiving the highest number of votes for Judge in Luzerne County.
Congratulations to all Democratic winners and candidates. The 2nd District is quickly turning a beautiful shade of blue. In 2011, it was Dallas and Harvey's Lake, and in 2012, it's going to be Harrisburg and Washington, D.C.!
Spread the news: The sun is comin' up in the Back Mountain, again!
Casey Evans
2nd District Democratic Chairman
Dallas
From the Luzerne County Bureau of Elections
Supervisor DALLAS TWP
Liz Martin (DEM) . . . . . . . . 893
Glenn M. Howell (REP) . . . . . . 849
Council HARVEYS LAKE
Michelle T. Boice (DEM). . . . . .417
Amy Williams (REP) . . . . . . . 382
Ed Kelly (DEM). . . . . . . . . 379
Thomas Kehler (DEM) . . . . . . . 359
Jamie L. Coleman (DEM) . . . . . 332
Richard K. Haas (REP) . . . . . . 328
William Monk (REP) . . . . . . . 293
Richard Svec (REP) . . . . . . . 283
11 hours ago
4 comments:
The Back Mountain is turning Democrat? I don't think so. Turning progressive? Certainly not. Both the Supervisor race in Dallas Twp. and the Council race in Harvey's lake were decided based on one issue - the safety of drinking water. You want proof, just look at the District Attorney race. Salavantis won each and every back mountain precinct:
Dallas Twp: Salavantis won 1008-729
Dallas Boro: Salavantis won 399-294
Harveys Lake: Salavantis won 445-317
Lake Twp: Salavantis won 223-121
Lehman: Salavantis won 356-299
Jackson Twp: Salavantis won 983-725
For a total win of 3860-2796 or 58% of the vote.
I messed up the previous post's numbers. Here are the corrections:
Dallas Twp: 1008-729
Dallas Boro: 399-294
Harveys Lake: 445-317
Lake Twp: 223-121
Lehman Twp: 446-311
Jackson Twp: 356-299
Kingston Twp: 983-725
Total: 3860-2796 or 58% of the vote.
The Back Mountain is still dark red
Stefanie Salavantis won against a do-nothing opponent... hardly a fair comparison. Voter registration numbers tell a different story.
Ever since that guy squealed on the judges and set off a long string of dominoes things have changed. The old ways don't work the same. Guys who got lazy and complacent lose. Luzerne county is in a state of flux and what happens now will shape things for years.
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