By SANDRA K. REABUCK
JOHNSTOWN — Cambria County Democrats and Republicans will take uncommitted delegates to upcoming conventions of the two parties when nominees are named for the special election to fill the seat of the late U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha.
But their neighbors from Somerset County have made up their minds about who should fill the 12th Congressional District seat.
Somerset Republicans will support Tim Burns, a Washington County businessman and Johnstown native, while the Somerset Democrats are backing Mark Critz, a Johnstown resident who resigned as Murtha’s district director to make a bid for the seat.
Cambria will have 19 delegates and Somerset will have five at the Democratic convention Saturday morning at the Lamplighter Restaurant in Delmont, Westmoreland County. The vote there will be a nonbinding recommendation, with the 50-member state Democratic executive committee to make the final choice Monday.
Two of the Democratic contenders have Cambria County ties. Ed Cernic Jr., the county controller, is a West Taylor Township businessman and lifelong resident, while Critz has lived in Johns-town and worked at Murtha’s local office for 12 years.
Also in the running is Ryan Bucchanianeri of Monongahela, a former naval officer. Ron Mackell, a Texas lawyer who formerly was a Johnstown news reporter, is running in the primary for the full two-year term, but said that he is not seeking the special election nomination.
Helen Whiteford, Cambria Democratic chairwoman, said the delegation was completed this week and there was no time for many of the delegates to meet ahead of the convention.
“The candidates have the right to speak there, and the delegates will have the chance to hear them at that time,” Whiteford said Wednesday.
The GOP will have 134 delegates, including 26 from Cambria and eight from Somerset County, at the Republican convention March 11 at St. Vincent College in Latrobe.
Robert A. Gleason Jr., Cambria GOP chairman who also heads the state Republican Committee, said, “The delegation is not committed to any candidate. They can pick on their own whom they will support.”
A week ago, however, the Somerset Republican Committee, meeting at Ridge Restaurant in Somerset, decided that all of its eight votes would go to Burns.
“He’s been a lifelong resident of the district, both in Johns-town and Washington County. And we need more business-thinking people in Washington, D.C. – those who have managed a business, met a payroll and can control a budget,” said Jim Marker, chairman of the Somerset GOP.
On Tuesday, the Somerset Democrats decided to back Critz after hearing from several candidates.
One of the Democratic candidates, Barbara Hafer of White Township, Indiana County, complained Wednesday that the “straw vote to be held Saturday is flawed, undemocratic and non-transparent.” She called for Gov. Ed. Rendell to intervene and change the process.
Hafer is contending that the candidates will not know until after today the names of all the delegates except for the 43 state committee members from the nine counties.
“Our 43 members will have their votes completely overwhelmed by the 57 nonelected delegates appointed by county chairpersons,” she said.
She alleged, “An immense amount of pressure is being applied to these chairpersons to force them to appoint delegates who would vote only for certain candidates.”
But it appears that there is no procedure for the governor to intervene.
“This is a state committee process,” Patrick McKenna, committee spokesman, said.
The recommendation process is a fair one designed to give as many 12th Congressional District residents a voice in the selection process, he said.
“Any criticism to the contrary bears no relation to the truth,” McKenna said. “As in all matters of importance to the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, we have consulted the governor and considered his advice and counsel.”
Jack Hanna, chairman of the Southwest Democratic Caucus, said that the delegate selection process was reviewed by the state committee before being implemented. However, he said that with the short time to gear up for the special election process, “it does give the candidates only two days to attempt to contact the delegates. Their accessibility is somewhat limited.”
County chairmen are to submit the names of the delegates to the state Democratic Committee by today, he said.
