Springdale voters elected a slate of four mostly incumbent Democrats to council as hearings for the massive proposed data center in the borough carry on.

Among the four victors, three are incumbents. But Deborah Piontek — who rallied the most support — will be a new face on council.

According to unofficial results but with all precincts reporting, Piontek earned 16.7% of the vote, followed by Jeffrey Hartz with 15.7%, Michael Ziencik with 14.6% and Jason Overly with 14.3%.

Piontek and Ziencik were also vying for a two-year seat, but both indicated they would opt for the full-term. That means council will have to appoint its seventh member next year.

Ziencik and Overly have each served on the board for more than a decade, while Hartz was appointed to his seat this year.

Piontek is no stranger to the council chambers, however. She has proved to be a regular presence at borough meetings, often speaking during public comment periods.

Though she earned a Democratic nomination through primary election write-ins, Piontek is a registered Republican.

Hartz said he appreciates the faith voters put in him, but he was a bit shocked to place so high on the ballot.

“Of course, I’m happy,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the next four years.”

Hartz said he’d continue his work to make the borough a better place.

Of the four defeated Republican candidates, two — Toni Robbins and Joe Kern — are incumbents.

Kern got 11.6% of the vote, and Robbins drew 11.3%. They were followed by Josh Thompson with 8.2% and Logan Radovich with 7.3%.

The election was set against the backdrop of ongoing hearings and community debate surrounding a proposed data center in Springdale.

Developers from Alle­gheny DC Property Co. have been presenting plans for the project since August, though hearings before council began only last month.

The current council will continue to hear testimony regarding the center ahead of any decision to approve or reject developers’ conditional use application.

If that testimony continues into the new year, however, that decision could be left to the newly elected council.

Current council members are still waiting on a recommendation from the borough’s planning commission, which will reconvene Nov. 17.

The center has proved to be a hot-button issue among Springdale residents, drawing dozens of residents to borough meetings. Some even opted to protest the project in two separate events last week.

Despite that, most of the candidates said they’re still on the fence.

Before a vote to approve the developers’ application, Ziencik said he’d like to see guarantees for residents in writing.

Overly and Hartz said they were still researching the effects of data centers.

Though Piontek said she’d wait to hear more testimony before taking a position, she said she’d push for community liaisons from Spring­dale and Cheswick to raise concerns to a designated individual from the property owners in case of future issues.

The victors will take their seats in January.

Council will reconvene at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 24 for the next round of data center testimony.

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