Delmont council has 2 candidates for 4 open seats in primary

Write-in votes could play a role in shaping the next Delmont Borough Council, with only two candidates filed to run for four open seats in the upcoming primary election.

Council incumbents Pam Simpson, Jeff Cunningham and Stan Cheyne did not file for reelection. Council president Andy Shissler and first-time candidate Tina Campbell, both Republicans, will be on the primary ballot.

“My husband and I have lived in Delmont for 26 years, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Campbell, 61. “I was always in sales. Most recently I was managing a call center for a remodeling company. Right now I’m not working and I thought it would be the perfect time.”

Campbell said the borough’s recently-formed storm water authority helped make her decision.

“The runoff and the fee is a big deal with a lot of folks I’ve spoken to,” she said.

Shissler, 54, has been on council for more than 15 years.

“I want to continue serving the community,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot during my time here and I hope I can keep being a leader and working to help people.”

Cheyne said he is leaving council and narrowing his focus to a couple of areas where he’s already involved with the borough.

“I’m going to continue as part of the storm water authority and with the borough recreation committee,” he said. “But for me, this is a way to concentrate more on those things. Plus my kids are starting to get older. I’m hopeful we get some new people and some new thoughts.”

Campbell said she can relate to the hectic schedule work and life can whip up.

“As much as I wanted to do this before, when I was working 12- and 14-hour days, I just didn’t have the time,” she said.

More seats than candidates means write-in votes could have an out-sized impact in shaping the general election.

“I think in the past we may have had primaries without a full slate of candidates,” Cheyne said. “But a lot of times you’ll get write-ins for people who were on the fence or didn’t file the paperwork on time. I think it’s important for people to know how much work goes into running even a small borough like ours.”

The last time the borough was short of candidates in an election was 2011.

In addition to the council seats, Republican incumbent Alyce Urban is running unopposed for a new term as mayor.