Scorecards Needed To Keep Track Of Stafford Republican Primary Race

by Patricia A. Miller

Tuesday is the day that Stafford Township Republicans will go to the polls to decide who they want to go up against the Democrats for the mayoral seat and Township Council this fall.

Voters have quite a field to chose from. There are a whopping 14 candidates on the ballot for the six available seats on the Township Council. And that’s not including the full slate of Democrats running for mayor and council.

Mayor John Spodofora - who is seeking a second term - is being challenged by Township Councilman Henry Mancini and Conservative Michael Mazzucca.

Spodofora is running on the ”Moving Stafford Forward” slate with current council members Sharon McKenna, Steven Fessler, Robert Kusznikow, local business owners Dave Taylor and Paul Marchal - who both ran against the mayor and council in the last election - and retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Alan Smith.

The Stafford Township Regular Republican Club endorsed the Spodofora slate.

The ticket “Republicans for Truth and Transparency” consists of the three remaining council members not endorsed by the G.O.P. club. Henry Mancini is running for mayor. Lori Wyrsch and Paul Krier seeking the nomination for Township Council.

The third Republican group seeking a primary win is the ticket entitled “Common Sense Conservatives.” Their mayoral candidate is Mike Mazzucca, who is running with council candidates Tom Stedman, Peter McCarthy, Eric Libenschek, Scott Jefferies, Greg Myhre and Bruce Haggis.

A full slate of Democratic candidates also filed for mayor and the six council seats that are up for grabs in the November general election.

Former councilwoman Joanne Sitek is running for mayor on the “Official Regular Democratic Organization” ticket with a council slate consisting of Kevin Temple, Joan M. Westvelt, Helen Cocuzza, Nicole Downs, Brian Corley White and Denise Pobick.

The top vote getters in each party will then go on to the general election in November. The mayor and council members are elected to three-year terms on a concurrent basis in partisan elections, with terms of all current elected officials ending on December 31, 2015.