Wal-Mart battle lives on in McCandless Council election

Plans to build a Wal-Mart in McCandless have died. But the political storm created by those plans is very much alive.

Voters in one McCandless ward will decide next month whether to shift the balance of power on council from those who voted to approve the Wal-Mart plan to those who opposed it.

Incumbent Ward 6 Councilman Ralph LeDonne faces a challenge in the May 16 primary from fellow Republican Carolyn Schweiger.

She has the support of the political action committee McCandless 4 Tomorrow, which along with the group Citizens of McCandless, formed in the wake of town council's 2014 decision to approve the Wal-Mart project. The groups vowed to replace council members such as LeDonne who approved the Wal-Mart project with ones they support.

With no Democrats running for their party's nomination in Ward 6, the winner of the May 16 Republican primary will be assured a victory in the fall barring a successful write-in campaign.

Schweiger, who recently changed her political party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, said while she has long been concerned about how McCandless government operates, the Wal-Mart issue was a tipping point.

An Allegheny County judge ruled that town officials acted properly — a decision upheld in a series of appeals that reached the state Supreme Court.

Despite losing in court, the residents group claimed victory because their legal filings delayed the project until Giant Eagle bought a small portion of the Blazier Drive property Wal-Mart wanted to develop, essentially killing the project.

In 2015, McCandless 4 Tomorrow and the residents group used the Wal-Mart issue to help elect council members Kim Zachary, Steve Mertz and Gregory Walkauskus.

Schweiger served as campaign manager for Mertz, who along with Zachary, switched from Democrat to Republican prior to seeking office.

Even if LeDonne fends off Schweiger's challenge, efforts to replace council members with the Citizens-aligned candidates will continue in the fall.

Republican Bill Kirk is running unopposed in the primary for the Ward 2 seat. Incumbent council President Gerard Aufman, also a Republican, withdrew from the race after deciding against seeking a 12th term as the Ward 2 representative.

In November, Kirk will face Democrat Barbara Richards, a vocal members of Citizens of McCandless, who also is uncontested for her party's nomination in the primary.

Councilwoman Joan Powers, who represents Ward 4, is running unopposed in the Republican primary. There are no Democrats seeking the seat, which means Powers is virtually assured reelection in the fall.

In the 15 months since taking office, Zachary, Mertz and Walkauskus have clashed with the four other members of council over issues such as appointments to advisory boards and the vote in December to reduce property taxes, which they did not support.

Zachary and Mertz most recently voted against adopting the guiding documents for operation of the new McCandless/Northern Allegheny Heritage Center, which has become a rallying point for the resident group's efforts to replace council members.

Group members have accused town officials of poor planning for the project and hiding the true cost of construction. They say the town's efforts and resources would have been better spent on developing a community center.

Town officials say all costs associated with the heritage center project followed proper accounting practices, were presented to members of council and approved at public meetings.

Schweiger said while she “appreciates what he (LeDonne) has done” in reference to his years as a township employee and then as an elected official, she thinks it is time for a change.

“I've attended a lot of meetings and see how they treat people when someone tries to make a suggestion or give them an idea,” Schweiger said. “I want to listen to and represent everybody. Even if we have differences, I want to get away from this negativity and work together with people.”

LeDonne said he is seeking a fourth term on council to address several key issues facing the community.

“I want to do more to deal with the opioid addiction crisis by working with the school district to emphasize to students the dangers of getting involved with drugs,” he said.

LeDonne, who chairs council's public safety committee, said he also wants to continue work to ease traffic problems in the town, address issues related to stormwater management and strengthen public safety.

“Our police departments and fire services are among the most highly regarded in the area and I want to ensure that they continue to receive the training and equipment they need to continue providing that high level of service,” the retired McCandless police chief said.

He said the town's current leadership cut the property tax rate this year to make it the second-lowest in Allegheny County without sacrificing services such as road paving and maintenance of municipal facilities.

LeDonne said he is “not surprised” that the residents group is using the heritage center in much the same way the Wal-Mart project was used.

“As this (heritage center) project progressed, council received regular updates and reports at our (public) work sessions,” he said. “We have line items expenditures for every dollar spent. So in my opinion, this is absolutely political. These tactics worked in the past, so why would they stop now? I think it's something we're going to continue to see in McCandless.”

Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-772-6368 or tlarussa@tribweb.com.