Primary Election Preview

Here is the important information on the Springfield Township Board of Commissioners Primary Election May 17.

Incumbent Ward 1 Commissioner Thomas V. Mahoney, current board president, will not seek reelection.

Commissioners run for four-year terms with staggered election years in odd and even-numbered wards. Elections for Wards 1, 3, 5 and 7 were planned for 2011. However, due to the resignation of Ward 6 Commissioner James Devenney (R), the primary includes those running to fill the Ward 6 seat for the remaining two years of his term, which includes Devenney himself.

Yes, you read correctly: the primary race for Ward 6 includes the now-resigned would-be incumbent Devenney, who had a change of heart following his resignation.  

Devenney will run to win the seat he resigned from against Commissioner Robert Layden (R), who took the Ward 6 seat following Devenney's resignation. Michael Keller is running on the democratic side. 

While the primary race is mostly-uncontested for respective democrat and republican tickets, Ward 6 continues to be the anomaly with two republicans vying for that seat.

Here's a list of who is running in each of the five wards with seats up for grabs:

Ward 1: (Four-year term)

Cole Stevens (D)

Michael Culp (R)  

Ward 3: (Four-year term)

Susan Garelik (D)

Lee John Janiczek (R)-Incumbent

Ward 5: (Four-year term)

Raymond Santarelli (D)

Jeffery Rudolf (R)- Incumbent

Ward 6: (Two-year term)

Michael Keller (D)

Robert Layden (R)-Incumbent

James Devenney (R)

Ward 7: (Four-year term)

Benedict D’Angio (D)

Daniel J. Lanciano (R)-Incumbent