Log In


Reset Password

Hale leads both ballots for Schuylkill judge

Common Pleas Judge Christina Hale and attorneys Christopher Hobbs and James Conville will advance to the November election for the two positions on the Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas.

Four candidates were seeking the two seats on the court. All candidates cross-filed.

Unofficial results from the Schuylkill County Election Bureau show Hale as the top vote-getter with 5,271 votes on the Democratic ballot and 12,270 on the Republican ballot.

Hale, 44, of Butler Township, thanked the voters for their support.

“It’s very humbling and I look forward to November,” she said.

She said there was an excellent turnout.

“Judicial races are extremely important races,” Hale said.

The two vacancies are because Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin is not seeking re-election and Hale has to run for the seat of former Judge John Domalakes that she was appointed to in October.

Hale was leading on both the Republican and Democratic ballots all night.

“It’s looking great. We are pretty excited about the numbers,” she said at 10:15 p.m., when with 48.80 percent of precincts reported, it showed Hale with 1,809 votes on the Democratic ticket and 4,689 on the Republican ticket.

Her strong showing in the polls is a testament to her work ethic, experience and bipartisan support, she said. Hale congratulated Hobbs, who finished third with 4,358 among Democratic voters and second from Republican voters with 10,987. Conville finished second with 4,553 Democratic votes cast and third with 5,241 among Republicans.

Hobbs congratulated Hale. He was pleased with the strong showing. He said the campaign is about “qualifications.”

“I look forward to continuing to spread the message,” he said.

He thanked his family, friends and voters for their trust. His 21 years of experience with many different cases bolstered his campaign. His reputation for fairness, he believes, is something voters recognized.

Conville, who has been practicing law for 26 years, was excited about the results Tuesday.

“We’re charged up. We’re ready,” he said for the November election.

He said he’s not going to give up.

“We went up against a lot. We’re still standing and I’m not going to fall,” he said.

Attorney Julie Werdt said she put forth her best effort in defeat.

“It was an uphill battle,” she said around 10:30 p.m. when told she was in fourth place with 3,075 votes from Democratic voters and 2,998 from Republicans as reported during the second election update.

This was her first time running for elected office.

“I fought the best fight I could,” she said.

Werdt cited limited campaign funds as a possible factor in her loss.

A total of 23 Democratic write-ins and 42 Republican write-in votes were cast.

County view

The race for the two judgeships were the only county races in the primary.

District Attorney Democrat Michael A. O’Pake was unopposed for his party’s nod getting 8,944 token votes. There were no Republican candidates. There were 1,364 write-in votes on the GOP side.

Democratic incumbent Sheriff Joseph G. Groody was unopposed for his party’s nod and got 9,095 votes. On the GOP side Douglas Litwhiler got 13,649 votes unopposed for that nomination. Groody and Litwhiler will square off in the fall.

For county controller Republican Sharyn M. Yackenchick was unopposed and got 14,560 votes. The Democrats had no candidate for the position.

Den McLaughlin contributed to this report.