Democratic delegates recommend Mitchell for 48th Legislative special election
Barbara S. Miller/Observer-Reporter
Attorney Clark Mitchell Jr., right, is congratulated by Bill Kiehl, Democratic committeeman and former chairman of Chartiers Township Board of Supervisors, after delegates voted Sunday afternoon at Canonsburg VFW Post 191.
Clark Mitchell Jr.
CANONSBURG – On an afternoon when many a Western Pennsylvanian was tuned into the Steelers-Jaguars AFC playoff game, a contest of a different nature was taking place at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 191.
Three candidates – an attorney, a former mayor and a former school board member – asked for delegates’ votes in the nomination process for a special election to be held May 15 to fill a vacancy in the 48th Legislative District, which encompasses the Washington-Canonsburg area.
When the votes were tabulated, political neophyte Clark Mitchell Jr., 31, was the choice of 14 committee members, just enough to carry the day.
“Let’s keep the 48th blue,” said the South Strabane Township resident in a brief acceptance speech that was met with applause. “If anyone wants to talk to me and has any advice, I’m all ears.”
After receiving congratulations and handshakes, Mitchell responded to a question about why he’s taking the plunge into politics.
“You know, I woke up after the presidential election and wondered, like a lot of people, ‘What do we do next as Democrats?’
“I look forward to get to work to represent the values that the people in the 48th have voted Democrat for a long time. We’re not going to take anything for granted.”
He said he wants to keep Pennsylvania from becoming an anti-union right-to-work state, a concept that he branded, “the right to work for less (pay).”
“I believe in equal pay for equal work,” he continued, and said he is pro-choice on the abortion issue and supports extending or doing away with the statute of limitations for sexual assault. He also addressed the opiate epidemic and pledged to stand up to pharmaceutical firms.
Former assistant district attorney and Canon-McMillan school board member Joseph Zupancic finished with a half-dozen votes, one less than former Washington mayor Brenda Davis in the quest to represent the district vacated Dec. 31 by Brandon Neuman, who took the oath of office Jan. 2 as a Washington County judge.
The special election to choose a new representative to serve for the rest of the year – the balance of Neuman’s term – is scheduled for May 15 in conjunction with the primary election. Nominees for a full two-year term that begins in 2019 will be on the same ballot.
A mere 27 Democratic committee members from the district that includes 39 precincts, each with a slot for a committeeman and committeewoman, participated in the process.
“I wished for a bigger group, of course,” said Linda Andrews, chairwoman of Washington County Democratic Party. “I wished for better weather, I wished the Steelers had played (Saturday,) and I wish my basement wasn’t flooded.
“I had eight days to put this together, so this is it. But if we’re nothing, we’re Democrats. We’re flexible.”
Davis, a Washington 4th Ward committeewoman, said Sunday night she intends to contact the state Democratic Party “to find out if this meeting was actually legitimate.”
Among several issues Davis raised was Andrews’ casting of a ballot and the chairwoman allowing latecomers to vote.
Andrews said as a committeewoman from Washington’s 5th Ward, second precinct, she was entitled to cast one vote, which she did. If there had been a tie, Andrews said as chairwoman she could have cast an additional vote as a tie-breaker.
Davis also said only 21 committee members were present when the meeting began, a number she believes should have remained firm.
The chairwoman said she wasn’t aware of by-laws addressing votes cast by latecomers.
Now that Neuman has become a judge, State Rep. Pam Snyder of Jefferson, Greene County, in the 50th District is the lone Democrat representing Washington County constituents in the state General Assembly.
Republicans will convene to carry a nomination process on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Washington Golf Club, where announced candidates so far are Jerad Cypher of East Washington, Joseph DeThomas of Washington and Timothy O’Neal of South Strabane.
Roger Raymond Fischer was the last Republican to represent the Washington-Canonsburg district, numbered 47th during his tenure, for more than two decades through 1988.