Incumbents in Lawrence Township were reelected by wide margins in the council and school board races on Nov. 5.
In the contest for three four-year seats on the Lawrence Township Council, Democrat incumbents Cathleen Lewis and Michael Powers, along with running mate John Ryan, handily won election over Republicans challengers Robert Pluta, Joseph Vinch and his father, Philip Joseph Vinch III.
Lewis (4,171) was the top vote-getter, followed by Powers (4,156) and Ryan (4,055). In the loss column, it was Pluta (2,368), followed by Vinch (1,810) and Vinch III (1,801). There were also 14 write-in votes for candidates not listed on the ballot.
The vote in terms of percentage was Lewis, 22.7%; Powers, 22.62%; Ryan, 22.07%; Pluta, 12.89%; Vinch, 9.85%; and Vinch III, 9.8%.
Ryan, a newcomer, will be taking the seat vacated by former councilman David Maffei, who opted not to run for re-election.
Maffei suddenly resigned last month without citing a reason, leaving his position two months early.
Under the replacement process, the township Democratic Committee will recommend three replacements to the council, and it will be up to the four remaining members on the governing body to choose who will fill the remaining time on Maffei’s term.
It is possible that they will pick Ryan for the seat, which would allow him to start in the role several months before he’s sworn in as election winner in January.
Three three-year school board terms were also up for grabs, and incumbents Jonathan Dauber, Patricia “Pepper” Evans and Michelle King all won reelection. The three ran together on a slate with Cathy LeCompte, who ran unopposed for a one-year unexpired term on the board. LeCompte wound up getting the most votes, with 3,609. There were 30 write-in votes.
In the race for the three-year seats, Evans (2,866) received the most votes, followed by Dauber (2,857) and King (2,610). Losing were Heather Camp (2,218) and Adena Romeo-Ratliff (1,695). There were 74 write-in votes.
The percentages were as follows: Evans, 23.26%; Dauber, 23.19%; King, 21.19%; Camp, 18%; and Romeo-Ratliffe, 13.76%.
All of the numbers reported in this story are based on unofficial results issued by the Mercer County Clerk’s Office as of Nov 6.
Cathleen Lewis, Michael Powers and John Ryan won the Lawrence Township Council election on Nov. 5.,
