Malvern GOP Write-Ins Tally 18 Percent Of Council Seat Votes

MALVERN, PA — Primary races in Malvern were tight and the most surprising outcome was 18 percent of the Republican vote for three borough council seats going to write-in candidates.

Mayor of Malvern

Malvern Borough residents will choose between Democrat Zeyn Uzman and Catherine Raymond after the May 18 primary election in Pennsylvania. Malvern Borough's mayor David Burton is not seeking reelection but three candidates sought to fill the position.

Raymond and Christopher G. Mongeau appeared on the Republican primary ballot for Malvern. On the red ballot, 74 percent of the vote went to Raymond and 23 percent for Christopher Mongeau. Raymond garnered 251 votes to Mongeau's 78, and with 6 write-in votes, according to the Pennsylvania Voter Services Vote Totals page. Raymond has served on Malvern Borough Council for 12 years.

Uzman appeared alone on Malvern's Democratic ballot, receiving 94 percent of the Dem vote, or 390 votes. There were 23 write-in votes tallied, which added up to 5 percent of the Democratic vote. Uzman is an engineer who has taught at Villanova University.

Malvern Borough Council

In a race for three seats opening on Malvern Borough Council, Jen Benson and Mike Citron competed on the Republican ballot. Benson outdid Citron on the Republican ballot by 10 votes. Benson's 293 votes represented 41 percent of Republican votes cast, and Citron's 283 votes were 40 percent of votes cast. Another 129 Republican votes went to write-in candidates, which represents 18 percent of the tally.

On the Democratic ballot were incumbents Marty Laney and current board President Amy Finkbiner, as well as Zoe Warner, and Angela R. Riccetti, also vying for the three seats.

Finkbiner did best on the Democratic ballot, with 32 percent of the vote, or 396 votes. Riccetti had 304 votes or 24 percent, and Laney was razor-close behind with 295 votes and 23 percent of the total. Last on the Democratic ballot was Warner with 234 votes and 18 percent. There were no write-in votes.

Great Valley School Board

David Barratt sought reelection to the Great Valley School Board in Region 2. He is currently the board president and appeared on both party ballots, unopposed. On the Democratic ticket, Barratt garnered 716 votes, or 96 percent of votes cast. There were 25 write-in votes on the Dem ballot, according to the Pennsylvania Voter Services Vote Totals page.

In GVSD Region 3, Tricia Bliven-Chasinoff also was unopposed. She received 98 percent of the Democratic vote, or 1,196 votes, and 39 percent of the Republican vote. A full 60 percent of the Republican vote for the Region 3 seat was reported as write-in votes, which numbered 567 on the red ballot.

In GVSD Region 1 two seats will be filled. Samantha Jouin and Andrea Rizzo came out in a near dead heat on the Democratic ballot, both with 49 percent of the vote. Jouin won the exact vote count with 953 votes, and Rizzo with 944 votes. There were 14 write-in votes in that race on the Dem ballot.

The Republican ballot for GVSD Region 1 included Rizzo and Jounin as well as Alex Enderle and Lauren Dicranian for the two seats. Enderle and Dicranian came out very close though Enderle won the red ballot with 35 percent and 589 votes. Dicranian had 33 percent and 552 votes. Rizzo garnered 17 percent of the Republican ballot vote, with 288 votes. Jouin took 239 Republican votes, or 14 percent.

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