A handful of Hempfield-area Republicans will not run for reelection in supervisor races, and Democrats are optimistic about expanding their reach there.
East Hempfield Township Supervisors Scott Wiglesworth and Roger S. Brubaker will step back from the board at the end of the year when their terms expire. In West Hempfield Township, Kent Gardner will not run for his fourth term as a supervisor.
Two seats are open on each board, giving East Hempfield Democrats an opportunity to flip control of the board, where Republicans currently hold a 4-1 majority. West Hempfield Republicans maintain full control of the township’s five-person board.
Wiglesworth, a small business owner elected to the board in 2015, said he wants to devote more time to his professional life. Brubaker, speaking from a condominium he owns in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, said he plans to travel more with his wife after recently retiring.
“I really don’t feel like I can or should be weighing in on local issues if I’m not really able to live there full time,” Brubaker said.
Appointed last year to fill a vacancy on the board, Brubaker hinted he might consider running for office in the future but declined to share further details. Wiglesworth said he is not currently planning to run for a different office.
Gardner did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday, but Wiglesworth, chair of the Hempfield Area Republican Committee, confirmed the West Hempfield supervisor would not run for reelection.
The Hempfield GOP committee last week endorsed political newcomers Alex Tran, a logistics specialist, and Wendy Voulopos, a retired sales professional, for East Hempfield’s board. Ed Fisher, West Hempfield’s current board vice chair, and James Stuckey, the township’s auditor, earned the party’s backing for the township’s supervisor race.
Democrats endorsed Carly Abbott, a visuals director at a digital marketing agency, and Darren Landis, a parent, for East Hempfield supervisor. Nick Dennis, a housing advocate, and Steve Walck, a food service training coordinator, were endorsed for West Hempfield.
Michael Mezzetti, chair of the Hempfield Area Democratic Committee, hopes the party will continue to make waves after Bob Johnson, likely the first Democrat ever to break onto the East Hempfield board, won a seat in 2023. That same year, the party’s East Hempfield auditor candidate, Melissa Sasso, bested her Republican opponent, and two Democrats were elected to the school board.
“I think we have a good chance,” Mezzetti said. “We’ve been improving our performance (and) our results pretty much year after year with the exception of a few years. We don’t really expect that to change.”
While the Democrats have not been able to make headway in West Hempfield in recent years, a majority of East Hempfield voters supported Josh Shapiro’s gubernatorial bid in 2022 and Kamala Harris in November.
Wiglesworth acknowledged the progress Democrats have made in the area, attributing Johnson’s 2023 win to a higher voter turnout. He said the GOP plans to go “back to the basics” this year by targeting inactive Republican voters through its selection of qualified candidates.
“I have a healthy motivation to work harder,” Wiglesworth said. “It’s no secret what (the Democrats) did. They had more people come out in an off-year election … There’s no doubt Democrats have made some inroads.”
Following are the remaining endorsed candidates for Hempfield-area offices:
Hempfield school board: Republicans — Charles Merris (incumbent), Fae Skuya, Richard Garber, Chris Woolfolk; Democrats — Kaleb Best, Kait Linton, Erin Small and Mekkai Williams.
West Hempfield auditor: Six-year term — Jeremy Jackson (R), Hunter Bair (D); four-year term, Marvin Hoover (R).
West Hempfield tax collector: Bruce Weaver (R).
