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McClure, Belding oust incumbent commissioner Trader

3 min read
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Betsy Rohanna McClure

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Belding

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Dave Coder

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Blair Zimmerman

Two Republican candidates for Greene County commissioner defeated incumbent Archie Trader, who had been in his post for 12 years.

Betsy Rohanna McClure of Franklin Township and Mike Belding of Whitely Township will both be on the ballot in November along with the two Democrat incumbents, Dave Coder and Blair Zimmerman, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s primary.

“Clearly, the status quo is no longer acceptable to the voters of Greene County,” McClure and Belding said in a joint statement Tuesday night. “Together, we face significant and complex challenges. We look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate throughout the coming months, that not only are we well informed on your top concerns and priorities, we are also ready to bring real solutions to address them.”

In their statement, Belding and McClure thanked voters for supporting them and their campaign. They stated that they will be reaching out to the community for ideas and discussion on how to make the county “more prosperous.”

“Please know that we have worked this hard because we believe in you and our potential together to create a bright future for Greene County,” their statement read.

According to unofficial results, McClure received about 43 percent of the vote, with Belding receiving about 42 percent. Trader, 76, of Washington Township, received only 12 percent of the votes.

“I had a good 12 years,” he said. “I’m happy for the two that are winning. I have no bad feelings.”

Trader said he had thought about retiring at the end of this year, but decided to run again.

“I loved being a commissioner,” he said. “I guess 76 is a good time to retire.”

Zimmerman had the most Democratic votes, with about 31 percent, followed by Coder’s 26 percent, according to unofficial results. Their opponents were Lisa Sowden, a part-time Waynesburg police officer from Morgan Township, and Charles Morris, an attorney and former county commissioner from Franklin Township. Sowden received about 14 percent of the vote, and Morris about 21 percent.

“I worked pretty hard as commissioner,” Zimmerman said Tuesday night. “I care about the county, and I hope people saw that. I will continue to be that person and we’ll see what happens in the fall.”

Coder could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

In other Greene County races, Ami Cree was leading Sheila Elliott Stewart in a Democratic race for county controller. With one precinct left to report, Cree had about 52 percent of the vote, compared to Stewart’s 48 percent, according to the unofficial results.

The Democratic race for district attorney was also very close, with Patrick Fitch trailing Jessica Phillips by just 69 votes. David Russo ran for district attorney as an unopposed Republican.

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