Tom DiBello Wins GOP Seat On Transformed Montco Board Of Commissioners

NORRISTOWN, PA — Former Limerick Township supervisor Tom DiBello has won the Republican seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, opening a new chapter on the county's governing body that has completely turned over in the past year.

DiBello narrowly edged out his running mate, former Upper Dublin Commissioner Liz Ferry. The pair ran a friendly co-campaign, backed by the party's establishment, after ousting longtime nemesis Commissioner Joe Gale in the primary.

DiBello earned 85,934 votes to Ferry's 83,111 votes, according to unofficial results, a tally which does not include overseas and military ballots.

See also: Democrats Win Big In Montco Commissioners Race

"Thank you," DiBello shared in a statement posted on his Facebook page Wednesday. "I will never stop working for you."

Incumbent Democrat Jamila Winder led all vote getters with 152,306 tallies, while fellow Democrat, Penn professor and lawyer Neil Makhija, earned 143,386 votes, completing the three person board.

Just over a year ago, none of these three were on the board. But longtime chair Val Arkoosh was chosen by Gov. Josh Shapiro to head his Health and Human Services campaign, leading to Winder's induction. Ken Lawrence announced his retirement from the post a few months later, and Gale lost the primary a few months after that.

That Democrats maintained control of the three-person board is hardly surprising or insightful in one of the bluest counties in the state. What's more telling is turnout, and how this county commissioners election compared to past years.

Winder, this year's leading Democrat, earned about 25,000 more votes than Arkoosh did in 2019, while Makhija earned about 19,000 more than Lawrence that year.

DiBello earned about 11,000 more than Gale.

There was significantly higher voter turnout, but that only skewed the election further in the Democratic direction.