Campaign aims to populate panel

Six people must get 200
write-in votes each for the study commission to exist.

By LAURE CIOFFI

VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — The Lawrence County League of Women Voters will mount a write-in campaign to make the 11-member county study commission whole.

Only five people filed election petitions last week seeking a spot on the commission. Voters in November will decide if a government study should be completed and, at the same time, elect the study commission members.

If 11 people are not voted in, the referendum will fail even if the majority of votes are cast in favor of the study.

League member Janet Verone said her group intends to contact the other eight people who took out petitions but did not return them to the county elections office. They hope to find six people still interested in serving on the study commission.

This would be the second county government study in five years if approved by voters. The previous study commission met for several months and then recommended the county change to an elected county council with an appointed county manager. The county now has three elected county commissioners and various other elected row officers.

Supports this issue

Verone noted that the league does not support or oppose candidates as a regular practice but it does support issues such as the study commission.

“The league feels very strongly about a change in Lawrence County [government],” Verone said.

Verone said the league will meet again at 6 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Hudson Lunch restaurant in New Castle to mobilize its plans for the write-in campaign.

“We’ve got to have a letter-writing campaign and advertisements in the newspapers to get people interested,” she said.

Each write-in candidate must receive 200 votes to be elected to the commission. Verone said they hope to find 200 people willing to write in six names.

“We know we have to work fast,” she said.

cioffi@vindy.com