Washington County election preview: Jim Brice running for council seat in Donora

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

The May 16 primary will be here before Valley residents know it and as unofficial candidates lists are released, it looks like change is on the way in at least some areas. One thing that hasn’t changed is that there are multiple races that won’t be contested at all because there aren’t enough candidates to fill the seats available. In Donora, there are at least a few changes coming. Councilwoman Jane Ackerman is not seeking reelection. In the last election, she did not win but was soon appointed to fill the seat vacated by former councilman Donnie Pavelko when he won the mayoral seat halfway through his council term. Councilman Gib Szakal is running for reelection for a seat he was appointed to last summer, to fulfill the remainder of former councilman Sonny Lawson’s term. Both Lawson’s and Pavelko’s former council terms expire at the end of the year, putting the seats Ackerman and Szakal filled back up for grabs. Only Szakal has filed to run again. Councilman Joe Greco’s seat is also up, but he has not filed for reelection. Jim Brice, the former police superintendent who has long had a tense relationship with Greco, is running. 

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