TimesLeader.com

Democrats carry the day in Pa.'s local elections

By PETER JACKSON

(AP)

Democrats ruled in Pennsylvania's major municipal elections this year.

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, a Democrat who took the helm of city government at age 26 following the death of his predecessor, won his first full term.

Philadelphia voters elected Democrat Seth Williams to become the city's first black district attorney and re-elected Democrat Alan Butkovitz as controller.

Harrisburg, the state capital, and York, which is still feeling the effects of race riots that occurred four decades ago, both picked Democrats to become their first black women mayors.

In Allentown, voters re-elected Democratic Mayor Ed Pawlowski, who had 7,968 votes or 73 percent with all precincts reporting, to defeat Republican challenger and city councilman Tony Phillips, who received 2,892, or 27 percent.

Ravenstahl, who had been the youngest mayor of a big city when he took over in 2006, won with 28,528 votes, or 55 percent, with all precincts reporting.

His two independent challengers _ Franco "Dok" Harris, son of the former Pittsburgh Steelers star, and Kevin Acklin, a lawyer _ each attracted less than 30 percent of the vote.

The results suggested that the huge Democratic gains in statewide voter registration that helped Barack Obama carry Pennsylvania and cement his presidential victory last year were not just a passing fancy.

Ravenstahl has already won one citywide vote _ a special election in 2007 that allowed him to complete the last two years of his predecessor's term _ and the Democratic primary in May.

Williams won with 89,949 votes or 75 percent, with 95 percent of precincts reporting, in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 7-1 to defeat his little-known Republican challenger, Michael Untermeyer, who had 30,074, or 25 percent.

Williams spent 10 years working for Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham, Philadelphia's first female DA, who is stepping down after 18 years in office.

In the controller's race, Butkovitz was re-elected with 82,275 votes or 72 percent with 95 percent of precincts reporting, defeating Republican Al Schmidt, who had 32,092, or 28 percent.

Harrisburg's Linda Thompson, the city council president who defeated longtime Mayor Stephen Reed in the Democratic primary last spring, was elected with 4,869 votes or 55 percent with all precincts reporting. She defeated Nevin Mindlin, a lobbyist for the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the GOP nominee, who had 4,027, or 45 percent.

In York, Democrat Kim Bracey, the city's former community-development director, won with 2,582 votes or 81 percent with all percent precincts counted to beat Republican Wendell Banks, who said his top priority was to attract an NFL team to the city. Banks had 602 votes, or 19 percent.