Democratic slate sweeps Republican incumbents on Plum Council

Democrats carried the day in Plum, unseating incumbent Republicans to claim four seats on borough council.

Unofficial results show Ryan Delaney as the top voter-getter with 14.5%, followed by James McBride with 13.9%, Raymond Rall with 13.2% and Phoebus Apollo with 12.8%.

The Democratic sweep renders incumbents Paul Dern, Steve Taylor, David Seitz and Vicky Roessler lame ducks. Dern has served as council president since 2024.

Tuesday’s election means Plum Council will go from one-party control to a slight Democratic majority.

Taylor and Seitz swept into office in 2021 along with incumbents Dern and Mike Doyle, who left council to take his current post as a district judge. Council appointed Roessler last year to take his place.

The four similarly performed a clean sweep against four Democratic opponents in 2021, including then-incumbent President David Odom.

Delaney said he was expecting he and his fellow Democrats to do well, but he was in “disbelief” when he saw the results.

The election, he said, is a showcase of the effect local campaigning and engaging with the public can have in a purple area, saying “the magic is in the middle.”

“I think the adage, ‘Teamwork makes the dream work,’ works perfectly here,” he said.

Once he takes office, Delaney said, he’ll focus on creating spaces for locals to socialize and recreate and try to educate residents on local government processes.

McBride said he’s expecting a learning curve as he and his fellow Democrats take office, but he’s grateful for the support from voters.

“I was happy. I’m glad to see things went the way they did,” McBride said.

The Democratic sweep is likely a result of blowback from national politics as well as a 2024 budget that saw property taxes increase by nearly 40%, he said.

Dern was the highest vote-getting Republican, placing fifth with 11.7%, followed by Taylor also with 11.7%, Seitz with 11.1% and Roessler with 11%.

Unofficial results also show Democrats sweeping in Plum School Board elections, taking all four open seats and unseating three incumbents.

The four victors from council elections will join Republican incumbents Dave Majernik, Jerry Purcell and Steve Schlauch.

They’ll be sworn into their new roles in January.