Democrats Titus, Schaaf, Brzezinski win Erie City Council seats

Kathy Schaaf is headed back to the Erie City Council dais.

Incumbent City Councilman Ed Brzezinski scored two wins in Tuesday's municipal election, which means he must make a choice and council must once again choose an appointee for the seven-member, all-Democratic panel.

And Tyler Titus has achieved another political breakthrough.

Schaaf, Brzezinski and Titus won four-year terms on City Council on Tuesday, according to unofficial vote totals from the Erie County Courthouse for all 63 city voting precincts, including thousands of mail ballots.

Previous coverage: Titus, Schaaf, Brzezinski poised to win Erie City Council seats

Brzezinski also won a two-year seat that was also on the ballot because of the January resignation of former City Council President Liz Allen.

Photos: Election Day 2023 around the country

Brzezinski on Tuesday night said that he will almost certainly accept the four-year term. He wants to talk with City Solicitor Ed Betza this week about the appointment process.

"I want what's best for the city," Brzezinski said. "I want to make sure we get someone in as an appointee who is qualified for council."

Current Councilwoman Susannah Faulkner, appointed to the former Allen seat in February, launched an unsuccessful write-in bid for the two-year seat that Brzezinski won on Tuesday.

May primary: Erie City Council race: Titus, Schaaf, Brzezinski grab Dem nods; incumbent Keys loses

Faulkner will serve in that council seat until at least Jan. 1.

City Solicitor Ed Betza has said that according to state law, City Council will now be required to appoint someone to serve in the former Allen seat between Jan. 2 and Jan. 1, 2026.

Council could choose to reappoint Faulkner or open the process up to interested Erie residents, Betza said. Faulkner has told the Times-News that she's interested in being reappointed.

Erie resident Scott Pfeifer, also known as “Scotty Freeman,” also launched a write-in campaign for the two-year seat. The exact write-in totals for Faulkner and Pfeifer were unavailable Tuesday night.

Unofficial results

According to unofficial Erie County Courthouse vote totals, Schaaf had 8,673 votes for one of the three four-year City Council terms on the ballot, followed by Brzezinski with 7,806 votes; Titus, 7,330 votes; and Independent Roland Witherow garnered 3,451 votes.

There were a total of 643 write-ins in that race; a further breakdown was not available.

In the race for the two-year City Council seat, Brzezinski received 9,309 votes, according to unofficial county totals. There were a total of 821 write-ins.

Schaaf, 61, was first elected to City Council in 2017.

She declined to seek a second four-year term on Erie City Council in 2021, saying at that time that she was tired of the frequently toxic debate, criticism and character attacks that can accompany local politics.

But two years later, Schaaf reconsidered and decided to run again. She said she missed public service.

“I am very humbled and honored that so many people voted me in,” Schaaf said. “I plan on being very present in the community in many different ways of involvement and will listen to people's concerns in our community.

“To me it's important that people feel that their voice is heard,” Schaaf said. “That's one of the reasons I ran again because I felt that being at the table matters.”

Titus, 38, is a licensed clinical therapist who uses the pronouns they/them/their.

The former Erie School director and one-time candidate for Erie County executive became the first openly transgender person elected to public office in Pennsylvania after winning an Erie School Board seat in 2017.

Titus said they ran for City Council “to build an Erie where our children want to stay and new people want to move.”

Brzezinski, 76, spent four years on City Council from 1988 to 1992, followed by 12 years on the Erie School Board from 2006 to 2018. He won his second consecutive four-year term on Tuesday night, as well as the two-year seat.

Brzezinski said he ran for both the four-year and two-year terms hoping to ensure that City Council decides who joins the panel as an appointee. He said he ran for re-election to continue watching over city finances/operations.

City Council members serve part-time and currently earn $6,000 a year; council's president gets $7,500 annually. Council members are also eligible for city-paid health insurance benefits.

Starting in 2024, City Council members will see their first salary increase since 1986. Council approved an ordinance in February that sets the following salaries for City Council members:

• $6,000 for members who've served 12 months or less;

• $8,000 for members who've served between 12-24 months;

• $10,000 for members who've served between 24-36 months;

• $12,000 for members who've served 36 months or more; and council president will receive an additional $2,000 annually.

Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNflowers.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Titus, Schaaf, Brzezinski grab Erie City Council seats