Democrat incumbent John Petrucci will appear on the Republican ticket for the Penn Hills council race

Penn Hills residents will have three Democrats to choose from for two open council seats despite one of them appearing on the Republican ballot in November.

Democrat John Petrucci will appear on the Republican ballot running for Penn Hills council after receiving 224 write-in votes on the Republican ticket in the May 18 primary election, according to the recently certified results from the Allegheny County Board of Elections. A total of 411 write-in votes were cast on the Republican ticket.

Republican Committee chairman Brent Rambo confirmed Petrucci will be on the Republican ballot.

“We will support him,” Rambo said.

Petrucci said he hopes residents will look past his placement on the ballot and vote for the best candidate for the job.

“Yes, I am still a Democrat, just in a different position on the ballot,” he said.

On the Democratic ticket, Deputy Mayor Catherine Sapp received 3,546 votes and political newcomer Joanne M. Fascio received 2,813 votes to defeat Petrucci, who received 2,436 votes in the primary election.

Only 10 write-in votes are needed to get on the ballot in November, according to county election officials.

People who receive enough write-in votes to run in the general election must accept the party’s nomination and be qualified to run before their names are placed on the ballot.

Petrucci said one of his biggest attributes is how acccessible he makes himself to residents.

“The time I have spent serving on council has given me a deep understanding of the challenges Penn Hills faces, and I am always thinking of how I can make Penn Hills better for all of us that live here,” he said.