Vandergrift will have a new mayor to start the new year.
Councilman Lenny Collini, who was listed on both party ballots Tuesday, won 76.5% of the vote against a write-in campaign waged by incumbent Democrat Barbara Turiak, who received 23.5%.
With all of Vandergrift’s six precincts reporting, Collini had 485 votes, according to unofficial returns from the Westmoreland County Elections Bureau. There were 149 write-in votes.
It won’t be known until votes are certified how many write-ins were cast for Turiak.
Messages left with Collini on Tuesday night were not immediately returned.
Collini, a Kiski Area High School graduate as well as a singer/songwriter, talked with the Tribune-Review last month about what he hopes to accomplish were he to get elected.
“I think, as mayor, I can get involved in the community more,” Collini said. “I want input from the residents and will try to get them involved in anything that would change the negativity that has plagued our town for a while now.”
The Vandergrift native believes attracting more homeowners is key to the borough’s growth.
“I would like to make Vandergrift more inviting to young couples or families,” Collini said. “We need to encourage home ownership instead of out-of-town landlords that have no idea who is living in their properties or what condition the property is in.”
On Tuesday night, as the votes were still being tallied, Turiak talked about the experience of running a write-in campaign.
“I’ve never experienced it before, and it’s tough,” Turiak said. “It’s tough because a lot of people just check off names that they see, unfortunately.”
She said she put in a good effort, being at the polls from 7 a.m. until a little after 5 p.m. battling the cold until her face turned blue. She said her supporters made her return home to warm up.
A message left on Turiak’s voicemail later on election night was not immediately returned.
Turiak is a retired teacher in the Leechburg Area School District. She also taught in the Kiski Area School District in her career of more than 34 years.
The borough has a population of about 5,000.
The mayor may only vote at council meetings in the event of a tie and receives a monthly stipend of $50.
