Phoenixville Primary Results: Here Are The Numbers

PHOENIXVILLE, PA — Phoenixville's primary election had many uncontested races in a Democrat-leaning town, though Emily Shanley ran only on the Red ballot and made it to the fall 2021 ballot for school director.

Phoenixville Mayor Peter Urscheler was uncontested for reelection in the primary race. He has been mayor since January 2018. Urscheler took 99 percent of the Democratic vote, with 1,597 votes. The Dem ticket saw 9 write-in votes, and the Republican ballot for Phoenixville mayor listed no candidate showed 111 write-in votes, according to the Pennsylvania Voter Services Vote Totals page. The report does not show the names that were written in.

Phoenixville Area School District Board of Directors

With four seats open on the Phoenixville Area School District's Board of Directors, candidates who ran will all appear on the fall election ballot.

For PASD Director at Large, the Democratic ballot listed Scott Overland, Caitlyn M. Carminito, Susan Turner, and Victoria Walker and the outcomes were very close.

Of 10,811 total votes cast for School Director at Large, Carminito had the most on the blue ballot, with 2,776 votes, or 25 percent. Turner's total rounds off to 25 percent, also, though she took in 40 fewer votes at 2,736.

Walker had 2,660 votes and 24 percent, and last candidate on the Dem ballot — but only 197 votes behind the leading candidate — was Overland with 23 percent of the vote and 2,579 votes.

The Republican ballot primary vote for School Director at Large showed Emily Shanley in front with 34 percent of the Republican party vote. Shanley garnered 1,867 of the total 5,338 Republican votes cast in the May 18 primary.

Turner garnered 18 percent and Overland 19 percent of the Republican vote. Carminito was last on the Republican ballot, with 17 percent.

Overland said before the primary that he ran on both tickets because he thinks it is best to keep politics out of school district business. Turner was added to the board in September and ran for reelection. The term of current PASD board president Blake Emmanuel expires this year and she did not seek reelection.

Borough Council Middle Ward Primary Race

Two candidates ran for a single Middle Ward Borough Council seat. Beth Burckley and Tracy Lee Tackett appeared on the Democratic ballot. Burckley received 58 percent of the Middle Ward vote, or 99 votes, while Tackett garnered 41 percent of the Dem vote, or 70 votes. Burckley won in each of the three middle ward precincts, but was strongest in the M3 ward, with 76 percent of the vote there.

Burkley has represented Phoenixville's Middle Ward since 2018 and serves as chair for the Police, Personnel, and Public Safety Committee.

Some of Phoenixville's uncontested races with Democratic candidates showed single-digit numbers of write-in votes. The Middle Ward, for example, saw 4 write-in votes on the Republican ticket, though there was no candidate listed.

With more than 98 percent of the mail-in vote counted, and all in-person votes tallied, Chester County commissioners expect to certify results on June 7, the commissioners' office said earlier this week.

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