Democrats swept all five contested Lower Merion Board of Commissioners races in Tuesday's general election, keeping a 10-4 majority on the board. The party beat Republican challengers in wards 1, 3, 7, 9 and 13. Democrat Cheryl Gelber was unopposed in Ward 5, as was Republican Lew Gould in Ward 11. “I’m thrilled—thrilled,” said Ward 7 incumbent and Board of Commissioners President Liz Rogan, after it was announced she had won reelection handily. “And though I know there are some very vocal concerns and issues that are brought before us, and accusations that what we are doing is inappropriate…
Residents of Lower Merion and Narberth will head to the polls from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday to vote for municipal representatives (Lower Merion's Board of Commissioners and Narberth's Borough Council) as well as for members of the Lower Merion Board of School Directors and for county and state government positions. Below, find out where residents should vote (based on where they live) and for which elected positions they can vote, as well as how many people in each precinct, ward and municipality are registered with each of the major political parties, according to county records as of Oct. …
The voters of Lower Merion's Ward 7 in Wynnewood (and Penn Wynne), will choose their Board of Commissioners representative on Tuesday: either Democratic incumbent Liz Rogan, president of the Board, Republican challenger Beth Ladenheim. To learn more about the candidates ahead of Tuesday's election, Patch asked both the same questions, via email on Thursday. Both were gracious enough to respond by Sunday afternoon. Their answers, edited only for Patch editorial style, are below. Rogan and Ladenheim faced off in a candidates forum Oct. 17. Tell us in the comments for whom you plan to cast your…
In preparation of Tuesday's upcoming elections, Patch is presenting a rundown of what positions are in play in Montgomery County and the duties of each office. Click here for part one of our breakdown. Prothonotary: The prothonotary is the civil clerk of the Court of Common Pleas. The position is responsible for recording the happenings in the courtroom and tracking all civil procedures. The prothonotary “signs and seals all writs and processes numerous other documents of the Court of Common Pleas,” according to the county’s website. The office is responsible for the filing and recording of …
Last week, we submitted the following three questions to both the Brown-Castor (R) andShapiro-Richards (D) campaigns for Montgomery County Commissioner, with the promise that each campaign's unedited response would be published in full on Patch. Both campaigns graciously agreed to participate. We asked that the responses be provided by Nov. 2 for simultaneous publication. Neither campaign had its responses in by the deadline. After some additional prompting, both campaigns reaffirmed their intention to reply. The Democratic responses arrived Wednesday afternoon. The Republican campaign has …
With elections coming up next Tuesday (Nov. 8), here's a rundown of which positions are up for grabs, and what the function of each role is, from a county perspective. Court of Common Pleas Judge: Judges in the Court of Common Pleas serve the 38th judicial district, which includes all of Montgomerty County. Overall, the Court of Common Pleas is broken into divisions, including judges, civil, criminal, family, juvenile and orphans cases. The judges are led by the Hon. Richard J. Hodgson, called “The President Judge.” Judges’ jobs seem more straightforward, but the judges are tasked with …
In a lively and occasionally contentious townhall forum Wednesday night at the Lower Merion Academy, candidates for the Ward 9 and 13 seats on the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners engaged in wide-ranging debate, finding room for disagreement over not only the issues but their constituent facts as well. The incumbent Democrats and insurgent Republicans diverged over: The rate at which the township is indebting itself: Barson said it will borrow another $40 million over four years; McGuire maintained that figure doesn't take into account the bonds the township will pay back. The …
In a free-ranging roundtable forum Thursday night at Cynwyd Elementary School, incumbent Democrat Brian McGuire called himself the candidate of the "status quo" while Republican Louis Barson positioned himself as a pragmatic, bean-counting alternative in the race for the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners Ward 13 seat. McGuire, a Kansas City transplant who filled the vacancy left by Bruce Reed's resignation, began by addressing the perceived largess of the board he joined 10 months ago. He signaled support for its controversial library renovations—"I think it's great we have six libraries …
Township spending dominated Monday night's debate between Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners President Liz Rogan and challenger Beth Ladenheim at St. Katherine's Day School in Wynnewood. Ladenheim, a Republican seeking the Ward 7 seat on the board that Rogan has held since 2004, repeatedly accused the incumbent of profligacy—citing, among other charges, that under Rogan's watch, township taxes have increased 60 percent. "She has voted for every tax increase, voted to double debt," said Ladenheim in her opening remarks, before promising to, if elected, spend more frugally. "It's been…
Less than a month before the Nov. 8 general election, candidates for Ward 1 Lower Merion Township commissioner met Thursday night for a candidates’ forum at Penn Valley Elementary School. Democrat Daniel Bernheim, of Penn Valley, has been serving as Ward 1 (Penn Valley, Gladwyne, Wynnewood and Merion Park) commissioner since February when then-vice president of the Board of Commissioners Mark Taylor resigned for personal reasons. Republican A.J. Kait, of Gladwyne, was tapped to run against Bernheim in mid-May after candidate Trish Hueber withdrew from the race for personal health reasons. …
