Chesco GOP sees more success; Dems disagree

Chester County Republicans haven't lost a row office election in, oh, about 150 years.

To Joseph E. "Skip" Brion, the GOP chairman in one of the state's most affluent counties, that can mean only one thing: The party must be doing something right to hold voter trust for that long.

And that's the message the party will carry into the elections on Nov. 3 for county controller, treasurer, clerk of courts, and coroner.

"When you look at Chester County, and its low tax rate and AAA bond rating and its being picked by Forbes.com as one of the top 10 places to live and raise a family - all that's under Republican leadership," Brion said.

But Chester County Democrats, who have been gaining ground in recent years, portray the Republicans as living in the past.

They are painting the row office races in ideological terms. They see the Republican contenders as far too conservative for a county that has changed and is no longer down-the-middle Republican.

"There are only 1.2 Republicans for every Democrat in the county now," said Michele Vaughn, the Democratic county chairwoman.

This year's Republican row office candidates have fallen under the influence of "far right" groups and are more conservative than ever, Vaughn contended.

"The majority of people in the county are moderate in their political views," she said.

With no higher-profile offices on the ballot except for a few County Court judges up for retention, the voter turnout could be very low.

Many of those who do go to vote likely won't know in advance the names of the candidates they see on the ballot. The election result will likely be a test of which party, more than which candidates, can get its reliable voters to the polls.

Democrats would love to grab even one of the four row offices, which come up for a vote every four years.

In the election for controller, the choice is between Republican Val DiGiorgio and Democrat Jim Reilly. The controller is the independent financial watchdog in county government, which is generally overseen by a three-member board of commissioners. The commissioners are not on this year's ballot.

DiGiorgio, the incumbent, is a lawyer with banking experience. He has been in office since 2005.

Reilly, who holds an MBA in finance, retired from a career with defense companies in 2008.

In the race for treasurer, whose duties include overseeing and investing the county's money, the candidates are both new.

Republican candidate Ann Duke, who defeated incumbent Alan Randzin in the spring, is a lawyer and a veteran Republican campaign worker. She formerly was on the West Chester Borough Council.

Her Democratic foe, Barbara Kipp Stone, is a financial analyst and financial planner. She is campaigning on being a certified trust specialist with personal experience managing pension funds.

Frank McElwaine, the GOP nominee for clerk of courts, defeated incumbent Teena Peters in the May primary. The office keeps and organizes the records for the county's criminal court system.

McElwaine is a retired corporate budget director.

Democratic candidate Mike McGann is a former newspaper reporter who operates Brandywine New Media L.L.C., which owns a number of Web sites for sports, technology, and political enthusiasts.

In the election for coroner, two candidates seek to replace Republican Robert Satriale, who did not run for reelection.

Republican Steven J. Dickter is a family practice doctor in West Chester. Democrat Megan Lynott is an optometrist and teaches health science at Chester County Hospital.