Jan 20, 2014 2 min read

After reading Emily Petsko’s story that appeared Jan. 8 regarding board reorganization in North Strabane Township, something occurred to me: Didn’t we just participate in an election in which candidates for township supervisor lost by only slim margins? Previous to that election, weren’t these same unsuccessful candidates determined to be qualified for these positions by obtaining a certain number of resident signatures on required petitions?

Didn’t these same candidates provide a platform that was agreed upon by a third of the voters? The answer to all of these questions is yes.

Why is it then that our elected officials are entertaining the notion of selecting their own candidates for recently vacated seats, independent of the wishes of the voters? It appears our seated supervisors need to be reminded these vacant seats should only be occupied by candidates who have gone through the pre-screening and election process. It seems to me the residents of North Strabane Township should want nothing less than a representative board of supervisors chosen by the people for the people.

At the end of this month, the residents of North Strabane, myself included, will see if our leaders do the right thing by filling the vacancies on the board with qualified candidates previously voted upon by the people.

Jeff Blackhurst

Canonsburg