Democrats Win Doylestown Borough, GOP Sweeps Townships and Schools

Come January, Doylestown Borough will be governed by all Democrats and Doylestown Township by all Republicans.

The Central Bucks School Board - all six races - and Buckingham Township supervisor and auditor's race also went to the GOP by a wide margin.

In tiny New Britain Borough, Democrat Peter LaMontagne held onto his seat.

The results in Doylestown Borough included an important win for the Democrats. Challenger Kevin Kelly upset Republican incumbent Bill Stevens for the two-year seat in Ward 2.

"It was the culmination of a lot of hard work, and a lot of teamwork," Kelly said Tuesday, while celebrating in Doylestown. "The bottom line is getting out there talking to people about what's important."

Incumbent Democrat Joan Doyle also held off a challenge from Republican Joe Flood to keep the four-year seat in Ward 2.

"It was very gratifying for me out at the polling places all day today," Doyle said. "I had a lot of grassroots support and worked hard at getting my message out."

Democrats Don Berk and Marlene Pray were uncontested in their races, so also won.

"I would have had to do something pretty horrible to lose, since I had no opponent," said Berk, an incumbent, laughing slightly. "But I was out there getting out the vote for the other great candidates."

Pray, who faced rumors of a write-in campaign on the Republican side, garnered enough write-in votes of her own from Republicans in the spring primary to put her on the ballot for both parties.

"That tells me that the way that divisive, partisan politics looks across the country is not what politics in Doylestown looks like," Pray said. "I had many Republicans tell me today that they were writing me in because they wanted me to represent them. That tells me a lot."

Tuesday's results means that the makeup of Doylestown council will shift from 8 Democrats and 1 Republican to 9 Democrats.

But while the Democratic borough candidates and their supporters celebrated Tuesday night at party headquarters on Doylestown's East Court Street, the mood sobered as results began coming in from around the county.

By the end of the night, some of the joy had worn off, as the Democrats learned they had lost every race for Bucks County office, as well as a hoped-for state judge post for Doylestown attorney Kathryn Boockvar.

Democratic candidates for county commissioner, incumbent Diane Ellis-Marseglia and challenger Det Ansinn, remained in an office at headquarters, watching the results come in. Ansinn, who is also Doylestown Council president, conceded around 10:45 p.m. As the third highest vote getter, Marseglia was returned to office.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the courthouse at GOP headquarters on Broad Street, cheers and shouts rang out as Republicans celebrated maintaining control of county government with the re-election of county commissioners Charley Martin and Rob Loughery, Treasurer Bill Snyder, Clerk of Courts Mary Smithson, Coroner Joseph Campbell and newcomer Donald Petrille as Register of Wills.

Here are Tuesday night's results, courtesy of the Bucks County Board of Elections:

Buckingham Township:

Supervisor:

Jon Forest, R, 2229

Kathy Sugarman, D, 1267

Auditor:

Sam Losorelli, R, 2179

Harry Heinzl, D, 1187

Central Bucks School Board:

Region 1:

James Duffy, R, 889

Sandy Schiff, D, 576

Region 2:

Kelly Unger, R, 1269

Kim McGlone, D, 949

Region 3:

Joe Jagelka, R, 1489

Evelyne Hopkins, D, 918

Region 4:

Jerel Wohl, uncontested

Region 6:

Tyler Tomlinson, R, 1620

Leslie Carson, D, 1086

Region 8:

Geri McMullin, R, 1448

Joe Frederick, D, 1257

Doylestown Borough:

Ward 1:

Marlene Pray, 283 R, 392 D

Ward 2, 2-year:

William Stevens, R, 383

Kevin Kelly, D, 433

Ward 2, 4-year:

Joseph Flood, R, 384

Joan Doyle, D, 446

Ward 3:

Don Berk, D, 350

Doylestown Township:

Supervisor, 2-year:

Rick Colello, R, 2248

Barbara Eisenhart, D, 1538

Supervisor, 6-year (vote for 2):

Shawn Touhill, R, 2290

Ryan Manion, R, 2149

Mardi Harrison, D, 1483

Cynthia Philo, D, 1467

Auditor:

W. Rodney Stone, R, 2238

Stan H. Durey, D, 1464

New Britain Borough (vote for 3):

Peter LaMontagne, D, 271

Joseph Cangelosi, R, 236

Jeffrey Gilmore, R, 233

Craig Sturza, R, 201