Sep 12, 2013 3 min read

It looks as though a Republican councilman who won a write-in nomination to face incumbent Donora Mayor John “Chummy” Lignelli in the Nov. 5 election won’t be appearing on the ballot unless a court intervenes.

Don Pavelko, with 13 write-in votes, topped the necessary 10 to win a Republican nomination in the May 21 primary, while Lignelli was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Because voters in any race could write in someone’s name, even as a prank, candidates nominated this way must verify that they actually want to appear on the November ballot and file necessary paperwork by Aug. 12.

Pavelko mailed his paperwork to the Washington County elections office and the envelope was postmarked Aug. 7. But elections office workers said it wasn’t delivered until Sept. 4, when they imprinted a time and date stamp on the envelope. Larry Spahr, Washington County elections director, said it’s not unusual that mail arrives at a snail’s pace, and he checked with Mary Lyn Drewitz, county solicitor, to see if state election law allows the postmark to validate candidate’s paperwork as timely filed. It doesn’t, Spahr said Thursday.

The theory is that election preparations must move forward, and if documents due months beforehand arrived on election eve, it could throw a monkey wrench into the process.

Voter registration is the only election-related material for which the law allows postmark to determine if it has met a deadline.

Pavelko’s wife, DeAnne, said she believes that when it comes her husband’s candidacy, the fix is in. “It should be by the postmark,” she said, noting that a postmark on or before the filing deadline is accepted by the IRS for tax returns. She also said she’s not absolved of paying a bill if the post office didn’t deliver it.

“They didn’t want my husband to be on the ballot. There is something fishy down there at the courthouse. I smell a rat in that office. If I can’t trust the United States Post Office, we’re in trouble.”

Spahr said a write-in candidate’s paperwork doesn’t have to be mailed. It can be hand-carried to his office by the candidate or anyone else. He said Don Pavelko, in visits to the elections office over the summer, could have brought in his documents.

“I’ve known Donnie for many years,” Spahr said. “His paperwork wasn’t here. His only recourse is to file a petition with the court.”

DeAnne Pavelko said she has contacted Donora attorney Devlin A. Fisher about the matter. He did not immediately return a call for comment Thursday afternoon.

Lignelli, 92, a former borough councilman who has been mayor for more than 20 years, has typically run without opposition. He is nowhere near the longest-serving mayor in the United States, but he may be among the oldest current officeholders. Although difficult to document each nook and cranny of Pennsylvania, in Oakdale, Allegheny County, Mayor June Austin, appointed mayor in 1994 turned 101 before retiring. He died at age 107 in 2009.