Politics & Government

The Norristown Elections, 2013: Election Night and the Aftermath

Patch.com caught up with the brave folks who ran, and the volunteers who helped the elections along.

In an election with popular democratic candidates sweeping Norristown’s municipal council and Norristown Area School Board director seats (according to unofficial results), there was, for some, relief, and for others, a dream deferred.

Tiffani Hendley, a Norristown mother, was shy of sufficient votes in her run for school board director, garnering 3,120 votes.  Still, she wrote in an email to Patch.com that the election had been a positive experience for her and that the community should not be surprised if she runs in 2015: "I will still continue to do what I've always done before election and that is serve my community. I'm looking forward to my next journey. Congratulations to all the candidates and much success!”

Mary Ellen Early-DiGregorio, who ran as the libertarian candidate for municipal council-at-large for a two year term, lost with her 288 votes to democrat Olivia Brady with Brady’s 1,483 votes.  According to Early-DiGregorio in an email to Patch, she still plans on attending council meetings and asking the “‘Elephant in the Room’” questions: “I will continue to volunteer my service to anyone who calls upon me and most importantly I will continue to explain to people HOW THE POLITICAL MACHINE works and that you need to wake up and understand that Slavery still "rears its ugly head" when people don't educate themselves.”  

Find out what's happening in Norristownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

John Kelemen, the Executive Director of the Montgomery County Republican Committee, was cheered that republican candidates won in the county what he described as “some key municipal and school board races.”

The committee’s office is located in Norristown, traditionally a pro-democrat town. “In Norristown borough, the demographics are what they are. In many ways, its like Philadelphia west,” he said.

Find out what's happening in Norristownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After the polls closed Patch caught up with democratic candidates Linda Christian, Marlon Millner and Olivia Brady at the Montgomery County Democratic Committee office in Norristown, all of whom would win their municipal council seats, Millner with 1,433 votes and Christian with 636 votes.

“I hope to inspire more opportunities for productive citizen involvement,” Millner said in response to a question as to some of his goals should he win a second and final term.  

“In a town like Norristown,” he said, “we have to make people active.”

“The thing I look forward to is representing the interests of my constituents,” said Christian, who had already learned that she won her second term for a Ward 3 council seat.

“I am not a politician!” she said cheerfully. “I am a public servant.”

Brady has been a councilmember before, having served as council president in 2003. “It’s very exciting,” she said, of her 2013 campaign. “My husband and I have lived here for almost 30 years.”

Part of her vision for council is to stimulate economic development, such as helping along a dynamic main street, she said.

It was, from accounts, a somewhat slower election.

Roslyn Hutson, the proud mother of winning school director candidate Turea Hutson (3,503 votes), was a polling volunteer at the Montgomery County Human Services Center. According to Roslyn Hutson, their polling place has about 1,600 registered voters but only about 250 had voted by the time that the polls closed.

“It’s just important for all voters to know the important of the election,” she said. “Your vote counts. Please, just always come out.”

David Hodo, a former council-at-large member and the current board president of the George Washington Carver Community Center, also volunteered at the polls, here, at the Laborers Local Union 135.

According to his fellow Labor Union poll volunteer Brenda Crowder-Queenan, the voter turnout was not huge, at approximately 150 people when the polls were closing. Still, said Hodo, “The people who I have seen come through have been very happy.”

Election day was a peaceful one, at least. As of 8 p.m. on Nov. 5, police reported that there had been no election-related incidences.


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