Rockland supervisor race is finally over
The Derrick, 10/12/01, By JUDITH O. ETZEL

A special thank you goes out to The Derrick for allowing this story to be posted

BILL PROPST IS DECLARED THE WINNER OF BOTH NOMINATIONS FOLLOWING A SERIES OF RECOUNTS ON THE DEMOCRATIC BALLOT.

An endless Democratic race for Rockland Township supervisor has finally come to a close, thanks in part to a county judge's assertion that "this court got the vote 100 percent correct." 
A decision this week by Venango County Judge Oliver Lobaugh gives Bill Propst, chairman of the Rockland supervisors, both the GOP and Democratic nominations in the Nov. 6 general election. Losing the party nods was challenger Ron Himes. 

Typically, a candidate with both nominations is assured of winning the post. However, Himes is reportedly still going to wage a write-in campaign on Election Day. 

The controversy began shortly after the May 15 primary election in which Propst won the Republican nomination by defeating challenger Himes. Both were listed on the GOP ballot. 
However, there were write-in campaigns waged by both Himes and Propst for the Democratic nomination. When the initial vote count showed Propst beat Himes, 39 to 38 votes, the challenger took the matter to court and asked for a recount. 

On July 9, a recount showed the two candidates were tied on the Democratic ticket. Himes then petitioned the court to count the ballots again, this time taking into consideration any unusual spellings in the write-in votes, such as "Ron Hime" and "Wm Prosp." The court pulled out the ballots again and, on Aug. 31, summoned the candidates to the courthouse where each Democratic ballot was inspected and counted by election officials, the judge and both candidates. 

On Sept. 5, Lobaugh ruled Propst had won the Democratic nomination by a tally of 40 to 39. 
Less than three weeks later, several Himes supporters filed another petition with the county court and asked that the Democratic votes be counted again. 

"The petitioners have no confidence in a process which has produced at least four different results on as many occasions," insisted the detractors. Their aim was to re-open ballot boxes from Rockland's two precincts and recount the ballots. 

Nothing doing, wrote Lobaugh in a decision issued this week. "What this court does here will never satisfy all of the supporters of a losing candidate, but absent any showing of some act or acts of fraud...all of the residents of Venango County can rest assured that the court....did count all the Democratic write-in votes in a thorough and public manner with the active participation of both candidates and got the count right," the judge wrote. 

Lobaugh went on to write "the bald allegations of fraud" contained in the petition for a recount are unfounded. Finally, the judge denied the recount petition for two reasons: the petition was filed Sept. 18, or after the four-month deadline (from May 15) allowed for recounts; and, the court is convinced the earlier recount was done correctly. "Even if the court had the discretion to grant an additional recount...the court would deny said request (because) the court is convinced that it got the vote 100 percent correct in the presence of both candidates," Lobaugh wrote. 

For Propst, in his 12th year as a Rockland supervisor, the end of the ballot controversy is a relief. 

"At first, since there was only one vote difference, then I went along with the recount. But it became a bunch of nonsense when the recounts went to four. I'm fed up with it. Look, I beat him four times. My advice is: get a life," Propst said.