West Chester Area School District elections (2015)

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School Board badge.png
2015 West Chester Area School District Elections
Primary Election date:
May 19, 2015
General Election date:
November 3, 2015
Table of Contents
About the district
Method of election
Elections
Key deadlines
Additional elections
External links
See also
Pennsylvania
West Chester Area School District
Chester County, Pennsylvania ballot measures
Local ballot measures, Pennsylvania
Flag of Pennsylvania.png

Five seats on the West Chester Area School District Board of Directors were up for general election on November 3, 2015. A primary election was held on May 19, 2015.

Incumbent Sue Tiernan (D) and challenger Kate Shaw (D) defeated Republican challengers Debra Maccariella and Vince Paul for two seats in Region 1. Republican candidates Karen Herrmann and Christopher Tabakin defeated Democratic candidates Samantha Bloom and Matthew Morley in Region 2. Gary Bevilacqua (D/R) defeated Matthew Illich in both the Democratic and Republican primaries, and won the Region 3 seat without opposition in the general election. No independent candidates filed to run in the general election.[1][2]

About the district

See also: West Chester Area School District, Pennsylvania
The West Chester Area School District is located in Chester County, Pa.

The West Chester Area School District is located in Chester County in southeastern Pennsylvania. The county seat is West Chester. According to the United States Census Bureau, Chester County was home to 509,468 residents in 2013.[3] In the 2012-2013 school year, the West Chester Area School District was the 11th-largest school district in Pennsylvania and served 11,682 students.[4]

Demographics

In 2013, Chester County outperformed the rest of Pennsylvania in terms of higher education achievement. The United States Census Bureau found that 48.5 percent of Chester County residents age 25 and older attained a bachelor's degree compared to 27.5 percent in Pennsylvania. The median household income in the county was $86,050, compared to $52,548 for the state of Pennsylvania. The poverty rate in the county was 6.9 percent, compared to 13.3 percent for the entire state.[3]

Racial Demographics, 2013[3]
Race Chester County (%) Pennsylvania (%)
White 87.1 83.2
Black or African American 6.4 11.4
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3 0.3
Asian 4.5 3.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 1.7 1.8
Hispanic or Latino 7.0 6.3

Party Affiliation, Chester County, 2013[5]
Party Chester County Registered Voters % of Total
Republican 147,576 44.49
Democratic 125,440 37.81
Libertarian 2,094 0.63
Other 56,627 17.07

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Voter and candidate information

The West Chester Area school board consists of nine members elected to four-year terms. The members represent three geographical regions. The primary election was held on May 19, 2015, and the general election was held on November 3, 2015. Five seats are on the ballot in 2015. There were two seats open in Region 1 and Region 2. One seat was open in Region 3.[1]

School board candidates had to file for this election with Chester County by March 10, 2015. Those wishing to run as an independent candidate had until August 3, 2015, to file. To vote in the primary election, residents had to register by April 20, 2015, and to vote in the general election, residents had to register by October 5, 2015.[6]

Elections

2015

Candidates

Region 1

Democratic Party Sue Tiernan Green check mark transparent.png Republican Party Debra Maccariella
Sue Tiernan.jpg
  • Cross-filed as Democrat and Republican
  • Democratic primary winner
  • Incumbent
  • Retired educator
 Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
  • Republican
Republican Party Vince Paul Democratic Party Kate Shaw Green check mark transparent.png
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
  • Cross-filed as Democrat and Republican
  • Republican primary winner
  • Pharmacist
 Kate Shaw.jpg
  • Cross-filed as Democrat and Republican
  • Democratic primary winner
  • Executive director, Research for Action
  • Bachelor's degree, Colby College
  • Ph.d, University of Michigan

Region 2

Democratic Party Samantha Bloom Republican Party Karen Herrman Green check mark transparent.png
Samantha Bloom.jpg
  • Cross-filed as Democrat and Republican
  • Democratic primary winner
  • Director of advancement services, Episcopal Academy
 Karen Herrman.jpg
  • Republican
  • Retired educator
Democratic Party Matthew Morley Republican Party Christopher Tabakin Green check mark transparent.png
Matthew Morley.jpg
  • Cross-filed as Democrat and Republican
  • Democratic primary winner
  • Attorney, Kilgore, Lawson and Morley
  • Bachelor's degree, Michigan State University
  • Master's degree, Temple University
 Christopher Tabakin.jpg
  • Republican
  • Director of compliance and quality, Access Services
  • Bachelor's degree, West Chester University
  • Master's Degree, Eastern University

Region 3

Democratic Party Gary Bevilacqua Green check mark transparent.png Republican Party Matthew Illich
Gary Bevilacqua.jpg
  • Cross-filed as Democrat and Republican
  • Incumbent
  • IT project director, Vanguard
 Matthew Illich.jpg
  • Cross-filed as Democrat and Republican
  • Defeated in the primary election
  • Owner, Northeast Group Consulting
  • Bachelor's degree, West Chester University
  • Master's degree, St. Joseph's University

Election Results

Region 1
West Chester Area School District, Region 1, General Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Sue Tiernan Incumbent 30.5% 3,414
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Kate Shaw 29.3% 3,284
     Republican Debra Maccariella 20.3% 2,274
     Republican Vince Paul 19.7% 2,202
Write-in votes 0.21% 24
Total Votes 11,198
Source: Chester County, Pennsylvania, "Summary Report Official Results," accessed December 21, 2015


West Chester Area School District,
Region 1 Democratic Primary Election, 4-year term, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngSue Tiernan Incumbent 46.7% 1,257
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngKate Shaw 46.6% 1,256
     Democratic Vince Paul 6.7% 181
Total Votes 2,694
Source: Chester County, Pennsylvania, "Summary Report," accessed June 16, 2015


West Chester Area School District,
Region 1 Republican Primary Election, 4-year term, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngVince Paul 35.1% 839
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDebra Maccariella 29.1% 696
     Republican Sue Tiernan Incumbent 20.4% 487
     Republican Kate Shaw 15.5% 371
Total Votes 2,393
Source: Chester County, Pennsylvania, "Summary Report," accessed June 16, 2015
Region 2
West Chester Area School District, Region 2, General Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Karen Herrmann 29.7% 3,901
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Christopher Tabakin 28.1% 3,691
     Democratic Samantha Bloom 21.7% 2,850
     Democratic Matthew Morley 20.5% 2,689
Write-in votes 0.11% 14
Total Votes 13,145
Source: Chester County, Pennsylvania, "Summary Report Official Results," accessed December 21, 2015


West Chester Area School District,
Region 2 Democratic Primary Election, 4-year term, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngSamantha Bloom 51.3% 821
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngMatthew Morley 48.7% 778
Total Votes 1,599
Source: Chester County, Pennsylvania, "Summary Report," accessed June 16, 2015


West Chester Area School District,
Region 2 Republican Primary Election, 4-year term, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngKaren Herrmann 38.6% 1,403
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngChristopher Tabakin 36.3% 1,321
     Republican Matthew Morley 13.8% 501
     Republican Samantha Bloom 11.3% 411
Total Votes 3,636
Source: Chester County, Pennsylvania, "Summary Report," accessed June 16, 2015
Region 3
West Chester Area School District, Region 3, General Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic/Republican Gary Bevilacqua Incumbent 98.8% 6,206
Write-in votes 1.19% 75
Total Votes 6,281
Source: Chester County, Pennsylvania, "Summary Report Official Results," accessed December 21, 2015 and Delaware County, "Municipal Election 2015," accessed November 13, 2017


West Chester Area School District,
Region 3 Democratic Primary Election, 4-year term, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngGary Bevilacqua Incumbent 82.6% 779
     Democratic Matthew Illich 17.4% 164
Total Votes 943
Source: Chester County, Pennsylvania, "Summary Report," accessed June 16, 2015 and Delaware County, "2015 Official Municipal Primary Results," accessed November 13, 2017


West Chester Area School District,
Region 3 Republican Primary Election, 4-year term, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngGary Bevilacqua Incumbent 51% 1,051
     Republican Matthew Illich 49% 1,011
Total Votes 2,062
Source: Chester County, Pennsylvania, "Summary Report," accessed June 16, 2015 and Delaware County, "2015 Municipal Primary," accessed November 13, 2017


Endorsements

Candidate endorsements
Candidate Better Direction for West Chester[7] Chester County Democratic Committee[8] Republican Committee for Chester County[9]
Region 1
Sue Tiernan
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Debra Maccariella
{{{1}}}
Vince Paul
{{{1}}}
Kate Shaw
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Region 2
Samantha Bloom
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Karen Herrman
{{{1}}}
Matthew Morley
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Christopher Tabakin
{{{1}}}
Region 3
Gary Bevilacqua
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Matthew Illich
{{{1}}}


Candidate endorsements
Candidate East Goshen Republican Committee[10] East Whiteland Republican Committee[11] West Chester Borough Democrats[12] West Goshen Democrats[13]
Region 1
Sue Tiernan
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Debra Maccariella
Vince Paul
Kate Shaw
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Region 2
Samantha Bloom
{{{1}}}
Karen Herrman
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Matthew Morley
{{{1}}}
Christopher Tabakin
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Region 3
Gary Bevilacqua
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Matthew Illich

Campaign finance

School Board badge.png

The Chester County Voter Services 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.

Past elections

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for the West Chester Area School District election in 2015:[6]

Deadline Event
March 10, 2015 Partisan candidate filing deadline
March 11, 2015 -
August 3, 2015		 Independent candidate filing period
March 25, 2015 Withdrawal deadline for primary election
April 20, 2015 Voter registration deadline for primary election
May 8, 2015 Pre-primary election campaign finance deadline
May 12, 2015 Last day to file for absentee ballot for primary election
May 15, 2015 Absentee ballot deadline for primary election
May 19, 2015 Primary election day
June 18, 2015 Post-primary election campaign finance deadline
August 10, 2015 Withdrawal deadline for general election
October 5, 2015 Last day to register to vote in general election
October 23, 2015 Pre-general election campaign finance deadline for general election
October 27, 2015 Voter registration deadline for general election
October 30, 2015 Absentee ballot deadline for general election
November 3, 2015 General Election Day
December 3, 2015 Post-general election campaign finance deadline for general election

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Pennsylvania elections, 2015

This election shared the ballot with primary and general elections for county offices such as commissioner, register of wills, recorder of deeds, prothonotary, sheriff and district attorney. Township and borough offices on the ballot included mayor, supervisor, commissioner, auditor, council member, constable and tax collector.[1]

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms West Chester Area School District Pennsylvania. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

West Chester Area School District elections (2015) - Google News

See also

West Chester Area School District Pennsylvania School Boards
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Seal of Pennsylvania.png
School Board badge.png

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chester County, Pennsylvania, "Chester County Official Candidate Report November 3, 2015, Municipal Election," accessed September 23, 2015
  2. ↑ West Chester Area School District, "School Board Members," accessed March 16, 2015
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Chester County, Pennsylvania," accessed March 20, 2015
  4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "West Chester Area School District," accessed March 16, 2015
  5. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Voter Registration Statistics," accessed October 23, 2013
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Pennsylvania Department of State, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed March 11, 2015
  7. ↑ Better Direction for West Chester, "Home," accessed May 4, 2015
  8. ↑ Chester County Democratic Committee, "Democratic School Board and Magisterial District Judge Candidates, Spring 2015," accessed May 4, 2015
  9. ↑ West Goshen GOP, "Home," accessed May 5, 2015
  10. ↑ Facebook, "Tabakin and Herrman for West Chester School Board," accessed May 5, 2015
  11. ↑ Facebook, "Tabakin and Herrman for West Chester School Board," accessed May 5, 2015
  12. ↑ West Chester Borough Democrats, "Support the bipartisan team for school board," April 13, 2015
  13. ↑ West Goshen Democrats, "Candidates May 19, 2015," accessed May 5, 2015
2015 West Chester Area School District Elections
Chester County, Pennsylvania
Election date:Primary election: May 19, 2015
General election: November 3, 2015
Candidates:Region 1: • Incumbent Sue Tiernan (D/R) • Debra Maccariella (R) • Vince Paul (D/R) • Kate Shaw (D/R)

Region 2: • Samantha Bloom (D/R) • Karen Herrman (R) • Matthew Morley (D/R) • Christopher Tabakin (R)

Region 3: • Incumbent, Gary Bevilacqua (D/R) • Matthew Illich (D/R)
Important information:Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot
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