Incumbents face same Democratic challenger in race for 2 East Huntingdon supervisor seats

East Huntingdon incumbent supervisors Jeff Keefer and Justin Morrow have the same job.

They also have the same opponent in separate races for two seats on the township’s governing board.

Keefer, 55, a Republican, is seeking a four-year term. A former member of the township’s road crew, Keefer was appointed to the board of supervisors in June 2024 following the death of Joel Suter.

Morrow, 54, also a Republican, is seeking his third term in office. He has served as a supervisor since 2014.

Democrat Wayne Godfrey, 65, a retired truck driver and heavy equipment operator, is running for both seats in the Nov. 4 general election.

“I want there to be a change. They don’t have a good work ethic in my eyes. They don’t do anything,” Godfrey said of the incumbents.

East Huntingdon, according to the 2020 U.S. Census, has a population of about 7,700. The three-member board of supervisors oversees an annual budget of about $2.1 million and 11 full-time employees. The township also is home to county and state-owned industrial parks.

Supervisors can opt to work as full-time township employees and in addition to the administrative duties they serve as heads of the public work crews. They earn annual salaries of $75,712.

Keefer praised his role in keeping the more than 70 miles of township roads safe and said his focus in the next term is to continue those services as well as support a proposed upgrade to the recreational facility at the former Ruffsdale Elementary School, property the township purchased earlier this decade.

“We want to redo the ball fields, put in new pavilions, maybe pickleball courts,” Keefer said. “If we can find the land, we want to expand it and make it more feasible to use for our community.”

The project is expected to cost several million dollars, with supervisors seeking state grants to cover the cost.

Morrow said the township is willing contribute some local funds to pay for the project.

He said his focus as supervisor continues to be public service and taking care of the local roads, lobby the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County to expand its sewer service and work with county and state officials to lure more business and industry into East Huntingdon.

“The roads are our priority. This job covers a lot of day-to-day work,” Morrow said.

Godfrey claimed the incumbents are not responsive to residents’ needs and said monthly public supervisors’ meeting are conducted in the mid-afternoon to intentionally limit access to community members.

Keefer and Morrow defended their meeting schedule, saying they are held in conjunction with their township work schedule of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.