Now, let’s see how the race for Jhnstown City Council is looking.
Baylee Wojcik has been following the race for Johnstown Mayor and City Council, and joins us with the latest.
Baylee, how are things looking, and why is this election so important?
In the seven person City Council, only one current member who is not up for reelection is ensured to keep his seat.
Between several current members not running for reelection, multiple position changes throughout the past year, and highly debated projects in the works, the city can expect to see a big shakeup in the fall with a nearly all new council.
For over a decade, the City of Johnstown has been served by Mayor Frank Janakovic. But when he announced earlier this year that he’s not running for reelection, one resident and two current council members set their sights on the position.
This announcement didn’t just impact the Mayor’s Office, but it opened up multiple seats in the City Council. With Deputy Mayor Sylvia King and Council Member Laura Lynn Huckle running for the position, two seats opened up.
This all happened after council member Mike Aapriotti resigned from the council early this year, stepping into the role of Assistant City Manager and leaving a 2 year term council position open for a newcomer.
And, with current council members Kenny Britt and Marie Mock not running for reelection, this leaves 6 spots open, meaning that the city will soon have a nearly all new Council and Mayor. After today, either King or Huckle will likely face off against Republican Mayor candidate John Debartola in the Fall who is running uncontested.
This shakeup also comes at the height of contentious debates surrounding an impending multi million dollar construction project on Central Park, which many residents and local business owners have criticized.
With the project slated to begin around Labor Day, the new council will step in while construction unfolds.
Taking a look at the numbers, the race for Johnstown Mayor is looking to be in King’s favor, with reports showing 62% of all votes for King, and 38% for Huckle.
Now, let’s see how the race for Johnstown City Council is looking.
There are currently four 4-year term openings for City Council.
Only four Republicans ran this year, so all will move forward to the General Election this Fall.
Those candidates are Nicholas Spinelli, Joseph Taranto, Charlene Stanton, and Mike Hamaceck.
Meanwhile, 5 Democrat candidates are facing off tonight. Only 4 will make it to the General Election.
Those candidates are Greg Brown, Jasmine Larue, Lorraine Brandon Taylor, Samuel Barber, and Taylor Clark.
As of right now, it looks like Larue, Brandon Taylor, Barber, and Clark are in the lead.