Republican races in Franklin County, Pa., worth watching

Primary elections in non-presidential election years often garner little attention, with 25% turnout considered to be “heavy.” Our upcoming primary, to be held Tuesday, May 16, will be no exception — and that is unfortunate, since there are a few significant races on the ballot.

There are six row officer races where the primary candidates are unopposed: clerk of courts, controller, county coroner, district attorney, prothonotary and sheriff. Unless you write-in someone for these offices, it is “what you see is what you get.”

There are two contested row officer races: register and recorder and county commissioner.

Linda Miller, the longtime register and recorder, has retired, and her chief deputy, Joy Heinbaugh, has kept things running smoothly. Now, Heinbaugh is running for the office in her own right and has 18 years of experience in a demanding job that includes maintaining all types of noncriminal records, probate of estates, and collection responsibility for realty transfer and inheritance taxes. Her opponent, Clayton Bendell, is young, inexperienced and is being pushed by the local GOP political machine. Easy call here.

The big local race is for county commissioner, where we have four Republicans who have thrown their hats in the ring. Incumbent David Keller is at ballot position No. 1. Keller, a conservative, has served as commission president and has overseen a commission that has not increased taxes for seven years. John Flannery is also running for re-election and has pledged that this will be his last term.

Newcomer Dean Horst, whose campaign, according to finance reports, has been showered with at least $15,000 from the GOP establishment machine, and is running hard to take out Keller.

Horst’s website makes some curious claims, stating he would do things that would clearly be beyond his authority, such as issuing directives to schools or refusing to comply with secretary of state directives on elections.

His big issue has been “preserving farmland,” which could intrude on the powers of local municipalities in many cases. Despite this being his signature issue, Horst was conspicuously absent from any of the recent meetings of the Community Against 676 movement opposing the building of 676 rental units in Greene Township, of which Horst is a resident. This would have been a great chance for him to show up and speak out, but he gave it a pass.

It’s worth mentioning that another prominent Greene Township resident, state senator and failed Republican candidate for governor Doug Mastriano, also didn’t show up to support the effort, despite being invited by at least one local resident who called his office.

Lori Rice, of Guilford Township, is also on the Republican ballot for the Board of County Commissioners. Rice is a small-business owner and was one of the recipients of the 10th annual Spirit of the South Mountain Award for her work in the “Stop Transource Project,” which defeated a proposal to have a 135-foot-high tension line run through 29 miles of Franklin County.

Rice is running a grassroots campaign and she states categorically that she won’t take money from any politician. She is married to a farmer and is dedicated to preserving Franklin County farmland. Unlike Horst, she has actively worked to preserve that farmland and hasn’t just talked about doing it.

In addition to the county row officer elections, there are numerous township and school board races on your ballot, depending on where you live.

There are also statewide judge races, including two Republicans competing to run for one state Supreme Court position in November. Judge Carolyn Carluccio is rated “Highly Recommended” for the position by the Pennsylvania Bar Association, but her opponent, Patricia McCullough, is “Not Recommended” because she would not fill out the Bar questionnaire. McCoullough was also defeated by Kevin Brobson in the 2021 race for the Supreme Court.

For the Commonwealth Court, Josh Prince has been endorsed by numerous law enforcement and gunowner groups and was the first attorney to file a Supreme Court challenge against Gov. Tom Wolf’s COVID-19 lockdowns. His opponent is Megan Martin, a career attorney.

More: Pa. voters head to the polls next month. A look at what's at stake in the primary.

Finally, there are two Republican candidates running for two Superior Court positions on the ballot. The candidates are Judge Harry Small Jr. and Maria Battista. Since you can vote for two, this race fits in the “unopposed” category.

Too many voters stay home for primary elections. In doing so, they are giving up a precious right. In Franklin County, the Republican primary nearly always decides who will govern us for the next four years.

Don’t stay home. Too many people have died for that right.

Dwight Weidman is a resident of Greene Township and is a graduate of Shepherd University. He is retired from the United States Department of Defense, where his career included assignments In Europe, Asia, and Central America. He has been in leadership roles for the Republican Party in two states, most recently serving two terms as Chairman of the Franklin County Republican Party. He has been an Amateur Radio Operator since 1988, getting his first license in Germany, and is a past volunteer with both Navy and Army MARS, Military Auxiliary Radio Service, and is also a certified firearms instructor. In his spare time, he dabbles in genealogy and learning new languages.

This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: GOP primary usually decides general election in Franklin County Pa.