Speak Your Piece: The voters have spoken; on to November
The voters have spoken. Primary Election 2025 is over and we’re on to the November 5 general election.
Congratulations to the winners and special kudos to everyone who put their hat in the ring, victorious or not.
Speaking on WBCB’s Speak Your Piece, Pat Poprik, long-time head of the Bucks County Republican Committee, said the countywide voter turnout was light, but predictable — about 23 percent — and it went well for their team, especially the success of four Republican candidates for Bucks County Court of Common Pleas since they and the Democratic candidates largely “cross-filed.”
Judicial candidates and school board candidates may cross-file on both party ballots, which can open the door for a possible general-election winner in the Spring primary. But not this year; the winners on both ballots will face each other in November.
Poprik who has overseen Republican control of county government, as well as a loss, said Republicans are on the way back to the commissioners’ office, citing the Democratic majority’s political gamesmanship that includes a “ridiculous” failed county lawsuit against the oil companies and denying a state court order regarding late ballot counting — allegedly to help the Democratic count statewide.
Poprik also has Democratic county Commissioners Diane Ellis-Marseglia and Bob Harvie in her sights for firing Republicans from various boards on which they’ve served for years, noting the removal of state Sen. Frank Farry (R-Langhorne) from Bucks County Community College’s Board of Trustees. That’s not something Republicans do, according to Poprik, who mentioned long-serving Democrats, still on the job, who were there through the Republican commissioners’ tenure.
Back to the primary, which is known as a committeeperson’s election. The lowest rung on the party ladder are the committeepeople elected by the voters every two years. They’re responsible for grassroots action, including supporting endorsed candidates, distributing voter information, door knocking and getting out the vote.
At the end of the day, the voters did their part, at least 23 percent. Except for the following, I’m unaware of any upset elections throughout the county – call me on Speak Your Piece, Monday through Friday, noon to 1 p.m. – 215-949-3232 if we missed it.
But there was one big surprise in heavily Democratic Bristol Borough where Mayor Ralph DiGuiseppe III lost his party’s nomination to a former police chief and former District Judge Frank Peranteau.
(Running unopposed for council in Bristol’s South Ward was the mayor’s father, Council President Ralph DiGuiseppe.)
The mayor oversees the police department and its status was central to the pre-election debate and likely the outcome.
Perhaps, our friends were so “shocked” by the result we couldn’t get a call-back to ask the obvious question – what happened?
Peranteau had called Speak Your Piece earlier and was critical of what he perceived as a division and shortcomings in the department, something rejected by the mayor. The disagreement is going to headline the next few council meetings, I’m sure.
Stay tuned.
Pat Wandling hosts Speak Your Piece from which this commentary is adapted, weekdays at noon on WBCB 1490.
