Two Democrats who ran successful independent campaigns for Westmoreland County commissioner said Wednesday they'll work together but unity must reach beyond party lines.
Political newcomer Gina Cerilli and incumbent Ted Kopas, both Democrats, finished first and second respectively in Tuesday's general election, wrestling control of the commissioners office' from Republicans, who have held the majority for four years.
Throughout the campaign, Cerilli, who as the top vote-getter traditionally would be considered the front-runner to be elected commission chairwoman in January, was adamant that Kopas was not her running mate.
She said Tuesday's vote shows that voters are fed up with the dynamic that existed among Kopas and Republican Commissioners Chuck Anderson and Tyler Courtney. Anderson was re-elected, but Courtney was not.
“I think (the election result) was a strong message that people are sick and tired of government and sick of the fighting,” said Cerilli, the first woman to serve on the county commission since Republican Kim Ward was elected in 2008.
Hours after the election, Cerilli stressed that the key will be to work with Kopas and Anderson to run county government as a team.
“Everyone has an equal voice in this. My intention is to work with both commissioners evenly,” Cerilli said. “I am excited to work with both of them.”
Cerilli topped Tuesday's ballot with 38,330 votes; Kopas finished second with 33,409; and Anderson was third with 33,217. None of the three would predict who will become the board's next chairperson.
Michael Korns, chairman of the county's Republican Committee, said a series of negative ads run by the unified team of Anderson and Courtney against Kopas in the last weeks of the campaign led to the party's defeat.
“It was a colossal failure of the incumbents' campaign,” Korns said. “Negative advertising just doesn't work.”
Cerilli, 29, will take on her first elected office in January. A former Miss Pennsylvania, she graduated from law school in the summer and for six years has served as a community relations specialist with the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County.
Her election continues the Cerilli family's involvement in county politics.
While those family roots run deep, Cerilli said she's looking ahead to set an agenda that focuses on fixing problems at Westmoreland Manor, the county-owned nursing home, eradicating the ongoing drug abuse problem and addressing the generally poor perception of government.
Kopas, 41, echoed the teamwork theme touted by Cerilli.
“Gina Cerilli and I need to get together, as well as with Commissioner Anderson, and talk about our shared priorities,” Kopas said. “It's no secret that during the campaign, Gina and I have talked at length about the problems at Westmoreland Manor. That I can assure you will be very high on our list.”
For the past four years — since Republicans took power after being the minority party for more than six decades — Kopas has been cast as an outsider in decisions made by Anderson and Courtney.
Courtney on Tuesday became the first incumbent commissioner to lose a re-election bid since 1995, when Democrat Ted Simon's 20-year stint on the board was ended in that year's primary.
Kopas pledged that Anderson will not be excluded from decision-making.
“The election is over, and Commissioner Anderson is one-third of this office,” Kopas said. “We will be very careful to avoid the mistakes they made with firing people and other vindictive actions. We're not going to do that.”
Anderson, 72, who has been chairman of the board for four years, said he will fight to keep the changes he and Courtney implemented.
“I will continue to express my opinion, and hopefully, my powers of persuasion will convince the majority,” Anderson said.
While losing the majority is a step back for the GOP, political observers said it's a sign that county voters are not entrenched in any particular ideology. Analyst Bill Green suggested Tuesday's results indicate that neither party in Westmoreland County can count on victory in any race.
“The county is independent, or you could say fickle,” Green said. “It tells you how close the parties are.”
Green said it is unusual for one party to win a majority then lose it in the next election.
“For the Republicans, they're probably saying, ‘We're on the precipice again.' I think Republicans need to be concerned for next year,” Green said, referencing the 2016 presidential race.
Democrats hailed Tuesday's victory as a re-emergence, but one that won't be taken for granted after the party's historic defeats in 2011 when the GOP took the majority in the commissioners' office and five row offices.
Democratic Committee Chairwoman Lorraine Petrosky said the party's success on Tuesday was its first step toward future success. That includes taking a majority in the commissioner's office and the victory of Tom Murphy, the previous three-term recorder of deeds who won back his job by defeating first-term incumbent Frank Schiefer,
“I said that we needed to get one or two wins at a time,” Petrosky said. “We took two (offices) back, and that's a good thing. It's a stepping stone.”
Rich Cholodofsky is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.
