Local Columns
Dem Party Chairman Stepping Down; Primary Results Are Convincing
By Al Molnar
POSTED: March 30, 2008
There’s going to be new leadership for the Belmont County Democrat Party starting next month.
Jim Tekely, party chairman over the past 17 years, sent out letters to all members of the Democrat Central Committee last week notifying them that he would not be a candidate for re-election as party chairman.
Tekely’s departure had been anticipated because even before his notification of the central committee members, the names of two veteran party members — Ed Good and Charles “Chuck” Wiley, both of Shadyside —were being circulated as possible candidates to succeed Tekely.
Wiley, who served on Shadyside Council for eight years and presently is a member of the village’s Board of Public Affairs, has confirmed he will be seeking the chairmanship post.
His eligibility to run for the office was ensured at the primary election when he was elected a committeeman from Precinct 54 in Shadyside. Wiley ran in place of his wife, Anita, who had held the precinct post for over 20 years, during which time she served 10 years as Shadyside mayor and eight years as a Belmont County commissioner.
In addition to electing a new chairman, the central committee will also have to elect a new treasurer to succeed Wiley. Since she gave up her precinct post in favor of her husband, she is no longer a member of the central committee. “They’ll have to elect a new treasurer in my place,” Anita Wiley commented. “I’m in the process of getting the books audited so a new treasurer can take over.”
Also mentioned prominently as a candidate for the party leadership post is Good, who currently serves as a Mead Township trustee, a position he has held for a dozen years.
Good confirmed he would be a candidate and added, “I’ve been encouraged with the support I have been getting.” If elected, Good has plans “to shake things up a little.”
The reorganization meeting of the central committee, required by law to be held within six to 15 days after the primary election results are certified, has been set for 7 p.m. April 8 at Undo’s Restaurant in St. Clairsville.
???
A reorganization meeting of the Belmont County Republican Party has also been scheduled but it is not expected to undergo any changes in the party leadership. Party chairman Kent Moore said he does not anticipate any changes will be made at the April 11 meeting at the GOP headquarters in Belmont at 7 p.m. He did confirm that he would be a candidate for re-election as chairman, a position which he has held for the past three years.
???
A new store is scheduled open for business outside the main Ohio Valley Mall retail center.
Mall manager George Diab said the Designer Furniture Warehouse (DFW) of Columbus has set Friday for its grand opening. It is located in the same building that is occupied by Ollie’s Bargain Outlet.
For the past several weeks workmen have been engaged in renovation of the site. Last week an entranceway was cut into the western portion of the building to provide an access separate from that used by Ollie’s. There is 20,600 square feet of space in the side of the building to be occupied by DFW.
???
Just looking at the vote totals doesn’t tell the whole story of how convincingly the voters of Belmont County swept two county commissioners from office, while at the same time keeping the incumbent sheriff in office for another four years.
Some veteran political observers are particularly astonished over the decision by voters to end the tenure of Commissioner Mark Thomas after he completes his second term in office at the end of this year.
A precinct-by-precinct breakdown of the unofficial vote totals which were certified last week by the Belmont County Board of Elections shows that Matt Coffland piled up a majority vote in 45 of the 69 precincts in the county, with his strongest backing coming in all of the large concentrated voting areas.
In his home district of Shadyside, Coffland amassed a total of 1,006 votes compared to just 379 for Thomas. In the contiguous precincts, Coffland outpolled him in Dilles Bottom 331 to 123 and in the Mead-Shadyside precinct, the vote favored him by 199 to 64.
Thomas showed voting strength in just two of the larger areas. In St. Clairsville he was the top vote getter in all six precincts and Barnesville’s two precincts had him the victor by slim margins. He also carried two Bridgeport precincts but lost out in the Wolfhurst, Blaine and Boydsville areas.
Neffs and Pultney Township area voters likewise showed overwhelming support for Coffland. At the three voting places in that area, Coffland claimed 879 votes and Thomas just 472.
In all three precincts in Bellaire and all seven in the Colerain Township area, voters gave solid backing to Coffland, as did those in three of the five precincts in Martins Ferry, four of the seven Richland Township precincts and three of the four in Pease Township.
When the final results were tabulated, it showed Coffland with 10,437 and Thomas 8,365.
A newcomer to partisan politics, Ginny Favede, literally ran away with the other commission race, not only defeating the incumbent, Gordie Longshaw, but also a former Belmont County commissioner, Ryan “Rick” Olexo.
In accomplishing that major upset victory, Favede beat out all three of her opponents by piling up majority votes in all precincts in Martins Ferry, Bellaire, Shadyside, St. Clairsville and all of the larger township precincts with the exception of two. The only place she fell short was in the Bridgeport-Wolfhurst area where Longshaw was the top vote getter in three precincts. She took one Barnesville precinct and lost the other to Olexo, who also was very strong in the Neffs-Pultney precinct.
In the end it was Favede with a resounding 7,774 votes; Longshaw, 5,264; Olexo, 4,772 and Leslie Alderman, 1,437.
With three challengers splitting the voters, incumbent Sheriff Fred Thompson had a relatively easy road to winning re-election to his second term. With no challengers in the November general election, Thomas is set to tack four more years onto his tenure.
Voters in every precinct from the Bridgeport-Wolfhurst-Lansing area south through Bellaire, Shadyside, Dilles Bottom and Neffs gave solid support to the the re-election of Thompson. In all, the sheriff garnered the highest vote totals in 42 or the county’s 69 precincts.
Dave Lucas, a former member of the sheriff’s department, had the top vote count in 18 precincts while another former deputy, Don Nippert, was on top in six precincts. John Morelli claimed one and there were vote ties in two precincts.
The final result looked like this: Thompson, 7,162; Lucas, 6,331; Nippert, 4,555 and Morelli, 1,349.
???
Even though the sports “experts” aren’t holding out much hope for the Pittsburgh Pirates again this year, I believe the Buccos are going to fool a lot of people. Their pitching has matured and can rate better than what a lot of teams have. After more than a half century of rooting for the Pirates, I’m not about to change this year.
Al Molnar can be reached via email at: amole0420@aol.com.
Jim Tekely, party chairman over the past 17 years, sent out letters to all members of the Democrat Central Committee last week notifying them that he would not be a candidate for re-election as party chairman.
Tekely’s departure had been anticipated because even before his notification of the central committee members, the names of two veteran party members — Ed Good and Charles “Chuck” Wiley, both of Shadyside —were being circulated as possible candidates to succeed Tekely.
Wiley, who served on Shadyside Council for eight years and presently is a member of the village’s Board of Public Affairs, has confirmed he will be seeking the chairmanship post.
His eligibility to run for the office was ensured at the primary election when he was elected a committeeman from Precinct 54 in Shadyside. Wiley ran in place of his wife, Anita, who had held the precinct post for over 20 years, during which time she served 10 years as Shadyside mayor and eight years as a Belmont County commissioner.
In addition to electing a new chairman, the central committee will also have to elect a new treasurer to succeed Wiley. Since she gave up her precinct post in favor of her husband, she is no longer a member of the central committee. “They’ll have to elect a new treasurer in my place,” Anita Wiley commented. “I’m in the process of getting the books audited so a new treasurer can take over.”
Also mentioned prominently as a candidate for the party leadership post is Good, who currently serves as a Mead Township trustee, a position he has held for a dozen years.
Good confirmed he would be a candidate and added, “I’ve been encouraged with the support I have been getting.” If elected, Good has plans “to shake things up a little.”
The reorganization meeting of the central committee, required by law to be held within six to 15 days after the primary election results are certified, has been set for 7 p.m. April 8 at Undo’s Restaurant in St. Clairsville.
???
A reorganization meeting of the Belmont County Republican Party has also been scheduled but it is not expected to undergo any changes in the party leadership. Party chairman Kent Moore said he does not anticipate any changes will be made at the April 11 meeting at the GOP headquarters in Belmont at 7 p.m. He did confirm that he would be a candidate for re-election as chairman, a position which he has held for the past three years.
???
A new store is scheduled open for business outside the main Ohio Valley Mall retail center.
Mall manager George Diab said the Designer Furniture Warehouse (DFW) of Columbus has set Friday for its grand opening. It is located in the same building that is occupied by Ollie’s Bargain Outlet.
For the past several weeks workmen have been engaged in renovation of the site. Last week an entranceway was cut into the western portion of the building to provide an access separate from that used by Ollie’s. There is 20,600 square feet of space in the side of the building to be occupied by DFW.
???
Just looking at the vote totals doesn’t tell the whole story of how convincingly the voters of Belmont County swept two county commissioners from office, while at the same time keeping the incumbent sheriff in office for another four years.
Some veteran political observers are particularly astonished over the decision by voters to end the tenure of Commissioner Mark Thomas after he completes his second term in office at the end of this year.
A precinct-by-precinct breakdown of the unofficial vote totals which were certified last week by the Belmont County Board of Elections shows that Matt Coffland piled up a majority vote in 45 of the 69 precincts in the county, with his strongest backing coming in all of the large concentrated voting areas.
In his home district of Shadyside, Coffland amassed a total of 1,006 votes compared to just 379 for Thomas. In the contiguous precincts, Coffland outpolled him in Dilles Bottom 331 to 123 and in the Mead-Shadyside precinct, the vote favored him by 199 to 64.
Thomas showed voting strength in just two of the larger areas. In St. Clairsville he was the top vote getter in all six precincts and Barnesville’s two precincts had him the victor by slim margins. He also carried two Bridgeport precincts but lost out in the Wolfhurst, Blaine and Boydsville areas.
Neffs and Pultney Township area voters likewise showed overwhelming support for Coffland. At the three voting places in that area, Coffland claimed 879 votes and Thomas just 472.
In all three precincts in Bellaire and all seven in the Colerain Township area, voters gave solid backing to Coffland, as did those in three of the five precincts in Martins Ferry, four of the seven Richland Township precincts and three of the four in Pease Township.
When the final results were tabulated, it showed Coffland with 10,437 and Thomas 8,365.
A newcomer to partisan politics, Ginny Favede, literally ran away with the other commission race, not only defeating the incumbent, Gordie Longshaw, but also a former Belmont County commissioner, Ryan “Rick” Olexo.
In accomplishing that major upset victory, Favede beat out all three of her opponents by piling up majority votes in all precincts in Martins Ferry, Bellaire, Shadyside, St. Clairsville and all of the larger township precincts with the exception of two. The only place she fell short was in the Bridgeport-Wolfhurst area where Longshaw was the top vote getter in three precincts. She took one Barnesville precinct and lost the other to Olexo, who also was very strong in the Neffs-Pultney precinct.
In the end it was Favede with a resounding 7,774 votes; Longshaw, 5,264; Olexo, 4,772 and Leslie Alderman, 1,437.
With three challengers splitting the voters, incumbent Sheriff Fred Thompson had a relatively easy road to winning re-election to his second term. With no challengers in the November general election, Thomas is set to tack four more years onto his tenure.
Voters in every precinct from the Bridgeport-Wolfhurst-Lansing area south through Bellaire, Shadyside, Dilles Bottom and Neffs gave solid support to the the re-election of Thompson. In all, the sheriff garnered the highest vote totals in 42 or the county’s 69 precincts.
Dave Lucas, a former member of the sheriff’s department, had the top vote count in 18 precincts while another former deputy, Don Nippert, was on top in six precincts. John Morelli claimed one and there were vote ties in two precincts.
The final result looked like this: Thompson, 7,162; Lucas, 6,331; Nippert, 4,555 and Morelli, 1,349.
???
Even though the sports “experts” aren’t holding out much hope for the Pittsburgh Pirates again this year, I believe the Buccos are going to fool a lot of people. Their pitching has matured and can rate better than what a lot of teams have. After more than a half century of rooting for the Pirates, I’m not about to change this year.
Al Molnar can be reached via email at: amole0420@aol.com.
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