May 16, 2017 2 min read

An incumbent who faces sanctions by the state Court of Judicial Discipline handily won both party’s nominations Tuesday night in the Monongahela-area magisterial race.

Former police officer Mark Wilson defeated challenger Peter Seth Hoosac, according to unofficial returns from the Washington County elections office.

Wilson had 1,443 votes on the Democratic ballot to Hoosac’s 439.

On the Republican ticket, it was Wilson, 460; Hoosac, 177. The district based in Mon City also includes New Eagle, Donora and Carroll Township.

Hoosac entered the race before the judicial review came to light, and, in an interview with the Observer-Reporter, he declined to sling mud.

Wilson, through a Harrisburg attorney, is facing charges that he set unusually high bonds for defendants charged with relatively minor crimes, which resulted in their landing in jail. The Mon City mayor was also charged criminally for what the Court of Judicial Discipline alleged was basically a civil complaint based on debt collection.

In the McMurray-based magisterial contest, newcomer Jacob Machel, the sole candidate whose name appeared on major-party ballots, had 716 votes from Democrats compared with 542 write-ins. On the GOP ticket, Machel had 1,072 votes to 796 write-ins.

District Judge James Ellis made an 11th-hour decision not to seek re-election. Both William Merrell and Diane DiSalle were conducting write-in campaigns, but how the write-in votes were panning out for each of them could not immediately be determined. In addition to Peters Township, the district includes Nottingham, Union and Finleyville.