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Robert Childs
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2027
Robert Childs was a candidate for at-large representative on the Hazleton Area School District school board in Pennsylvania. Childs was defeated in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
Childs was a member of the board from 1999 to 2015, when he was defeated in the general election on November 3, 2015.
Pennsylvania permits school board candidates to cross-file in primary elections. This means that a candidate may file to run in the primary election for both the Democratic and Republican parties. If a candidate cross-files, he or she needs to win in one party's primary election to advance to the general election. A candidate may also appear on both party's ballots in the general election if he or she wins both nominations in the primary.
Biography
Dr. Childs is a pediatrician at Robert W. Childs and Associates. He earned a medical degree from Duke University.[1]
Elections
2017
Four of the nine seats on the Hazleton Area School District school board were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. A partisan primary election was held on May 16, 2017. Board member Bob Mehalick and newcomers Linda Decosmo, Ed Shemansky, and Alexander Van Hoekelen won the four spots on the board in the general election.
Incumbents James Chapman and Mehalick, former board member Robert Childs, and challengers Decosmo, Mark Scarcella, Shemansky, and Van Hoekelen cross-filed to run in both the Democratic and Republican primary elections.[2] Mehalick, Decosmo, and Shemansky won both the Democratic and Republican primaries and advanced to the general election. Childs and Van Hoekelen also advanced to the general election. Childs advanced after winning the Democratic primary, and Van Hoekelen advanced after winning the Republican primary.[3][4][5]
General results
| Hazleton Area School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/Republican |  Linda Decosmo |
23.23% | 6,770 | |
| Democratic/Republican | Bob Mehalick Incumbent |
20.29% | 5,913 | |
| Democratic/Republican | Ed Shemansky |
20.07% | 5,849 | |
| Republican | Alexander Van Hoekelen |
19.19% | 5,592 | |
| Democratic | Robert Childs | 17.22% | 5,020 | |
| Total Votes | 29,144 | |||
| Source: Carbon County, "Election Summary Report," accessed November 8, 2017, Luzerne County, "Unofficial Results," accessed November 8, 2017, and Schuylkill County, "Unofficial Results," accessed November 8, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||||
Democratic primary results
| Hazleton Area School District, At-Large Democratic Primary Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Linda Decosmo |
19.00% | 1,958 | |
| Democratic | Ed Shemansky |
15.04% | 1,550 | |
| Democratic | Robert Childs |
15.03% | 1,549 | |
| Democratic | Bob Mehalick Incumbent |
14.76% | 1,521 | |
| Democratic | James Chapman Incumbent | 14.57% | 1,501 | |
| Democratic | Alexander Van Hoekelen | 12.24% | 1,261 | |
| Democratic | Mark Scarcella | 9.04% | 932 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.32% | 33 | ||
| Total Votes | 10,305 | |||
| Source: Carbon County, "Election Summary Report: Unofficial Results," accessed May 17, 2017, Luzerne County, "Municipal Primary Election - May 16, 2017: Unofficial Results," accessed May 17, 2017, and Schuylkill County Election Bureau, "HAZLETON AREA School District Unofficial Final Results," accessed May 17, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||||
Republican primary results
| Hazleton Area School District, At-Large Republican Primary Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Bob Mehalick Incumbent |
16.57% | 1,782 | |
| Republican | Linda Decosmo |
16.42% | 1,766 | |
| Republican | Ed Shemansky |
14.94% | 1,607 | |
| Republican | Alexander Van Hoekelen |
14.25% | 1,533 | |
| Republican | Robert Childs | 14.18% | 1,525 | |
| Republican | James Chapman Incumbent | 13.77% | 1,481 | |
| Republican | Mark Scarcella | 9.53% | 1,025 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.35% | 38 | ||
| Total Votes | 10,757 | |||
| Source: Carbon County, "Election Summary Report: Unofficial Results," accessed May 17, 2017, Luzerne County, "Municipal Primary Election - May 16, 2017: Unofficial Results," accessed May 17, 2017, and Schuylkill County Election Bureau, "HAZLETON AREA School District Unofficial Final Results," accessed May 17, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||||
Funding
| 2017 Campaign Finance Deadlines in Pennsylvania[6] | |
|---|---|
| Date | Deadline |
| May 5, 2017 | 2nd Friday Pre-Primary report due |
| June 15, 2017 | 30-Day Post-Primary report due |
| October 27, 2017 | 2nd Friday Pre-Election report due |
| December 7, 2017 | 30-Day Post-Election report due |
School board candidates in Pennsylvania were required to report their campaign finance activity. Those who spent or received more than $250 in a reporting period had to file full reports. Those below the threshold had to file forms to declare they were exempt from reporting. Candidates could have, but were not required to, form committees to handle campaign finance transactions. They were not required to have separate bank accounts for campaign purposes.[7]
The table to the left details the four campaign finance deadlines in 2017.[6]
2015
Five of the six candidates who appeared on the primary ballot in the 2015 Hazleton school district election advanced to the general. All candidates ran in both the Democratic and Republican primaries.
Incumbent Tony Bonomo won re-election to his seat. Challengers Bob Fiume, Marie Kay, Jackie Scarcella, and Vincent Zola also joined the board. They defeated incumbent Robert Childs and challengers Casey Herseim, Lori Losen, and Thomas Chirico.[8][9]
Bonomo advanced from both the Democratic and Republican primaries. Incumbents Brian Early, Robert Wallace, and Marfay Yanac did not run for re-election. Carmella Yenkevich did not advance from the primary election. James Capriotti withdrew from the race in March 2015.[10]
Childs, Herseim, and Losen ran as a slate of independent candidates. Chirico also filed as an independent candidate.[11]
Results
| Hazleton Area School District, At-Large, General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/Republican | Vincent Zola |
16.2% | 7,016 | |
| Democratic/Republican | Tony Bonomo Incumbent |
15.0% | 6,494 | |
| Democratic/Republican | Bob Fiume |
14.3% | 6,211 | |
| Democratic/Republican | Jackie Scarcella |
13.2% | 5,716 | |
| Democratic/Republican | Marie Kay |
12.8% | 5,531 | |
| Independent | Robert Childs Incumbent | 10.3% | 4,470 | |
| Independent | Lori Losen | 7.6% | 3,287 | |
| Independent | Thomas Chirico | 5.4% | 2,355 | |
| Independent | Casey Herseim | 5.0% | 2,169 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.16% | 69 | ||
| Total Votes | 43,318 | |||
| Source: Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, "Official Results," accessed December 21, 2015 Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, "Official 2015 Municipal Election," accessed December 21, 2015 Carbon County, Pennsylvania, "Officiall Results," accessed December 21, 2015 | ||||
Funding
The Erie County Elections Department does not publish and freely disclose school board candidate campaign finance reports. If you have any information regarding the campaign finance disclosures in this race, please contact the school board elections team at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Endorsements
Childs received no official endorsements for his campaign in this election.
See also
- Hazleton Area School District, Pennsylvania
- Hazleton Area School District elections (2017)
- Hazleton Area School District elections (2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Citizens Voice, "Seven independents eye mayoral, school board seats in Hazleton," August 5, 2015
- ↑ Luzerne County, "Candidate Filing List (Unofficial)," accessed March 13, 2017
- ↑ Carbon County, "Election Summary Report: Unofficial Results," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ Luzerne County, "Municipal Primary Election - May 16, 2017: Unofficial Results," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ Schuylkill County Election Bureau, "HAZLETON AREA School District Unofficial Final Results," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Pennsylvania Department of State, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed April 19, 2017
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Campaign Finance Reporting Law," accessed January 15, 2014
- ↑ Hazleton Area School District, "School Directors Overview," accessed March 13, 2015
- ↑ Luzerne County, "2015 Primary Election Candidates," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Standard Speaker, One less choice on ballot in Hazleton school board race," March 31, 2015
- ↑ Citizens Voice, "Seven independents eye mayoral, school board seats in Hazleton," August 5, 2015
| Hazleton Area School District elections in 2017 | |
| Luzerne, Schuylkill, and Carbon Counties, Pennsylvania | |
| Election date: | Primary: May 16, 2017 General: November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-Large: Incumbent, James Chapman (D)(R) • Incumbent, Bob Mehalick (D)(R) • Robert Childs (D) • Linda Decosmo (D)(R) • Mark Scarcella (D)(R) • Ed Shemansky (D)(R) • Alexander Van Hoekelen (R) |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
