PENNSYLVANIA — When this paper comes out, Election Day will be mere days away. Pennsylvania voters are tasked with choosing several new justices on the state’s highest courts, as well as a slew of county, municipal and school board officials. All three county commissioners, plus a challenger, will appear on the ballots in both Wayne and Pike counties.

PA Supreme Court candidates

The highest-ranking court in Pennsylvania, the PA Supreme Court, is currently made up of four Democrats and two Republicans, so this year’s election will not alter which party controls the court. However, all four of those Democrats will face retention votes or reach the mandatory retirement age of 75 by 2027—giving Republicans an opportunity to flip control in the coming years.

Carolyn Carluccio, Republican, “highly recommended” by the state bar, has served as Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas’ first female president judge. Endorsed by PA Pro-Life Federation and Pro-Life Coalition of Pennsylvania. On reproductive rights, Carluccio has said it’s an issue best left to the governor and legislature.

Daniel McCaffery, Democrat, “highly recommended” by the state bar, has served as a judge on the PA Superior Court and Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia. Endorsed by groups like Planned Parenthood. On reproductive rights, McCaffery has said, “I believe those particular issues are best decided between a woman, her conscience and her doctor.”

Commonwealth Court candidates

Commonwealth Court judges serve 10-year terms with no term limits, but have a mandatory retirement age of 75. The nine-member court—currently with five Republicans and three Democrats—has one open seat this year. In the past, the court has weighed in on a range of issues from gun control to education funding.

Megan Martin, Republican, “recommended” by the state bar, has served as a parliamentarian of the state Senate, where she advised the PA Senate’s presiding officer on how to run floor proceedings. She has described herself as a “textualist and originalist.”

Matt Wolf, Democrat, “recommended” by the state bar, has served as a judge on the Philadelphia Municipal Court since 2017. He said that as a judge he refrains from judicial activism.

Superior Court candidates

Judges on the Superior Court hear appeals in high-profile criminal and civil cases from the Courts of Common Pleas. These judges, as on Commonwealth Court, serve 10-year terms with a mandatory retirement age of 75. The court’s decisions can shape precedent for how future criminal justice cases are decided in lower courts. Two Republicans and two Democrats are running to fill two vacant seats.

Maria Battista, Republican, ot recommended by the state bar (after she declined to participate in its evaluation process), has served as assistant general counsel for the health and state departments under Govs. Tom Corbett and Tom Wolf. She was also a contract specialist for the Department of Defense.

Jill Beck, Democrat, “highly recommended” by the state bar, has served as an attorney in Pittsburgh and worked as clerk on both the state’s Supreme and Superior courts. 

Timika Lane, Democrat, “highly recommended” by the state bar, has served as a judge on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. 

Harry Smail, Republican, “recommended” by the state bar, has served as a Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas judge since 2014. In 2020, he ordered his county’s election board to throw out more than 200 provisional ballots cast by residents who were incorrectly told by election workers that they needed to sign their precincts’ poll books, raising concerns that these people voted twice.

Wayne County Commissioners

In Pennsylvania, county commissioners are three-member boards tasked with keeping their respective counties running smoothly. It’s an administrative role, however, the Wayne County Commissioners have historically taken on a more active role, utilizing grant-funding opportunities and working with public and private stakeholders to make an impact on the local infrastructure, economy and more. There are four candidates for commissioner this year (three incumbents and one challenger); on Election Day, voters will pick their top two candidates. The three highest-grossing candidates will make up the board for the following four years.

Jocelyn Cramer, Democrat, is seeking her first reelection since becoming the first female commissioner in Wayne County in 2019. Cramer has a background in business management and, prior to becoming commissioner, spent several years as executive director of Sustainable Energy Education & Development Support (SEEDS).

Michael Dougherty, Democrat, is seeking his first term as a commissioner. Dougherty is currently a Hawley Borough councilor and said—earlier this year—that he would make the county run more efficiently and transparently. River Reporter contacted Dougherty for an interview; however, scheduling issues have prevented this as of press time. Check www.riverreporter.com/news for any updates ahead of Election Day.

James Shook, Republican, is seeking his first election since getting appointed to fill Rep. Joe Adams’ seat. Shook owns multiple businesses throughout the region, including the Lake Region IGA supermarket. He’s said that coming from the business world to county government has been like slamming on the brakes, because things move much more slowly and are subject to change, often requiring commissioners to pivot and adapt.

Brian Smith, Republican, county chairman, is seeking reelection and is coming up on 20 years as a commissioner. Smith is a dairy farmer and school bus driver and has said he brings a “working man’s approach” to the job. Keen on preserving the county’s farming roots, Smith has worked with local school districts on getting agriculture into the curriculum and is striving to create a ag-innovation/education center in the county.

Pike County Commissioners

Similar to Wayne County, the current Pike County Commissioners have taken on a more active role than the job description necessarily requires. Top on the list of priorities has been getting the county its first hospital and urgent care facility and addressing a county-wide EMT crisis exacerbated by COVID-19. Also as in Wayne County, there are four candidates in this year’s race—three incumbents and one challenger.

Christa Caceres, Democrat, is a late-comer to the race after Karen Haycox—who won her party’s nomination in the primary—dropped out of the race. Caceres has campaigned on her promise to bring a fresh perspective to the commissioners, especially as the mother of a student in the local school system. She also opposes a proposed “mega-warehouse” facility slated to be built in Milford—a topic that, the other commissioners have said, falls out of their purview.

Matthew Osterberg, Republican, is the longest-serving commissioner on the board, with many years of serving in municipal government prior to becoming a commissioner. He has said that he strives to make Pike County a good and accommodating home for the less fortunate residents and for residents with disabilities.

Ron Schmalzle, Republican, is a commissioner with a background as a local business owner and employer. He has said that improving access to medical care is his “number one” priority as a commissioner. He has said he’s also focused on finding solutions to the county’s lack of affordable housing, made more difficult by its lack of central sewage infrastructure.

Tony Waldron, Democrat, was appointed commissioner in late 2021 to fill a vacancy left by Steven Guccini’s retirement. Waldron has a background as a lawyer specializing in land use and real estate issues. He and his fellow commissioners have said his experience has been helpful as the commissioners look to open up various urgent care facilities, a community hospital and seek strategies to improve the county’s housing availability.

Voting resources

There are many other municipal and school board positions up for election in Pennsylvania, which are too numerous to exhaustively list in the newspaper. However, residents can find sample ballots for their particular municipality by visiting either www.waynecountypa.gov or www.pikepa.org, and navigating to the elections office tab. Residents can also find information about their polling locations there as well.

For more information about where and how to vote in this year’s election, Pennsylvanians can visit www.vote.pa.gov.

Find candidate statements here