Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner rolled to a lopsided victory in Tuesday’s election despite an outstanding criminal case against her stemming from an alleged March 6 confrontation with police at a Detroit hotel, according to unofficial election results.
The results showed that Wagner collected 63.2% of the votes cast compared with Republican write-in challenger Brooke Nadonley’s 36.7%.
Wagner, 42, a former state House representative who grew up in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood and now lives in the city’s North Point Breeze, is completing her second term as controller.
Wagner said prior to the election that she wanted to build upon her efforts to ensure the Controller’s Office continues to be “strong, independent (and provide) checks and balances on county government,” citing her work to flag high lead levels in water to scrutinize tax breaks for nonprofit giants such as UPMC.
Nadonley, 43, a home health care worker who lives in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington neighborhood, had said she decided to run against Wagner when no other Republicans stepped up to do so after charges were filed against Wagner and her husband, Khari Mosley.
Wagner is scheduled to go to trial next week on a felony charge of resisting and obstructing police and a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct stemming from the incident in Detroit. A jury found Wagner’s husband not guilty of charges connected to the same incident following a three-day trial in July.
The couple has contended there has been a “coordinated effort” by police and hotel officials to smear their reputations and assassinate their characters.
