Wednesday, November 7, 2001
Andrea Przybylski is new to the New Castle school board. Three board incumbents will keep their seats.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The first order of business for newly elected city council members John Russo and Christine Sands will be citywide rezoning.
Sands is returning to city council after a two-year absence and Russo after a four-year hiatus, and both say when they left office rezoning was set to occur. But since that time rezoning has not been discussed publicly or acted upon, they said.
"I would like to know what happened to it. I started it four years ago," Russo said.
The two Democrats beat their two Republican opponents with Sands garnering 29 percent of the vote and Russo 27 percent. Incumbent councilman Stephen Vitale finished third with 24 percent, and political newcomer Bonnie Lynn Linton got 18.95 percent.
Russo and Sands said their previous terms in office likely helped Tuesday.
"I think it's just a feeling of the public being comfortable with my voting record and being comfortable with me," Sands said. She served on city council from 1992 to 2000.
Russo said he thinks people remember him from his previous terms in office from 1984 to 1988 and 1990 to 1998.
"I guess it's name recognition," he said.
School board results: The same could be said for those elected to serve on the New Castle Area School board.
Three incumbents will return to the board in December. Larry Nord finished first with 20.64 percent of the vote. Incumbents Allan Joseph and Peter Yerage each ended up with just over 15 percent of the vote.
Andrea Przybylski is the only new board member; she received 19 percent of the vote.
Przbylski's running mates Barbara McNeal and William Morgan, both running as Republicans, did not make the cut.
All three had run on a platform of fiscal responsibility, and Przybylski and McNeal announced their opposition to a new high school building now being designed.
Morgan, who initially opposed the new building, has said he changed his mind after speaking to parents in the district.
Przybylski will take the seat left vacant by David Domenick, who did not seek re-election.