This commentary will discuss the final three contested
Republican primary races that will appear on the May 16 ballot. Each contest
comes with its unique history of past performance on the part of the incumbent
and a Republican challenger seeking public office for the first time.
Coroner
Tim Warco. Warco
is a Washington funeral director who has served eight terms as the Democratic Coroner.
He has now switched parties and is running in the Republican primary. He has
come under scrutiny by Republicans who question his sincerity as a conservative.
Warco’s experience and job performance are beyond reproach.
Marc Zmijowski. The challenger to the long-term incumbent
is also a funeral director with businesses in Roscoe and Charleroi. Zmijowski
has not previously served in public office and his campaign is relying on
testimonials from friends and family. He appears to have the full support of
the Washington County Republican party as one of their own.
Register of Wills
James Roman. Roman’s
term in office as the elected Register of Wills has been marred by a constant
stream of his bravado, bullying, incompetence, and defensiveness. In my view,
he exemplifies the opposite of what a responsible public servant should be.
I have observed Roman speaking at commissioner’s meetings and
leveling personal attacks against other public officials. His bombastic rhetoric
included unfounded accusations of corruption and malfeasance that were
unproven, embarrassing, and disrespectful. Roman’s outbursts had little to do
with the business of the county or with his office. Ironically, his own conduct
in office should be a concern for primary voters.
Roman boasts on the campaign trail that the Register of
Wills is the best-run office in Washington County. He does not want voters to
focus on the unusual staff turnover in his office or his threats of violence in
March against an employee. The incident required intervention by Sheriff’s
Deputies. Recent disclosures by Republican Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan
reveal that staff members have complained about Roman’s conduct. Some have
expressed concerns about their safety. This should be enough to disqualify him
from office.
Roman’s unwillingness to cooperate with county audit
procedures is further grounds for rejecting his stand for reelection. In May of
2021, the county controller found numerous defects with record keeping, internal
controls over bank accounts, and untimely payments to the state and county.
Rather than correct the problems, Roman challenged the required audit as an
effort to discredit him. In March of this year, the Republican controller,
April Sloane, was forced to subpoena documents from Roman in order to complete
her most recent audit work. She explained: “Mr. Roman kicked us out of his
office and tried to fire my audit manager.” On April 19, 2023, the audit was
released with findings of inadequate internal controls over banks’ accounts and
accounting processes. Roman has attempted to hide behind state audits that do
not address these issues.
Roman has a troubling history of behavior that has compelled
the Court, which he is elected to serve, to take action against him. During the
pandemic, the President Judge issued a courthouse mask mandate. Roman posted a
sign stating that masks were not required in his office and was summarily
directed to remove the sign. In July 2021, the Court became aware of misplaced,
incomplete, and late adoption filings from the Register of Wills Office. After
remedial measures were not taken, the President Judge issued a five-page
administrative order forcing Roman to correct the deficiencies under threat of
contempt.
Christine Wiles Thomas.
Ms. Thomas is a graduate of Washington & Jefferson College and has
never served in public office. She has
held positions in public education, as Director of the Washington/Greene
Association of Realtors, and as past president of Washington Business and
Professional Women.
Thomas refuses to criticize Roman’s term in office but she
proclaims that if elected “the office will function in a culture of respect,
honesty, and collaboration.” Her public statements do not give the impression
that she fully understands the functions of the Register of Wills. However, I
have no reason to disbelieve her desire to work with the court to achieve “a
positive result” and to “promote efficiency and transparency.”
Prothonotary
Laura Hough. Hough
was swept into office in the last Row Office election cycle. She maintains an
alliance with her fellow anti-establishment Republican officials. Hough supports the reelection of both Davis (Clerk
of Courts) and Roman (Register of Wills). Hough has at times expressed
dissatisfaction with the decision-making of the Republican County
administration and of the Court. However, she has managed to avoid
confrontations with the Court that would hold her in contempt or place her at
odds with the County Controller. In this respect, she is the less extreme of
the Row Office contenders that the “patriot” Republicans are supporting in the
primary.
When the Court first introduced the new comprehensive Case
Management System, Hough opposed it and was vocal in letting the county know
she had a better plan. More recently, she has bought into the project and is
now campaigning on how the system “will revolutionize the filing processes for
the Prothonotary’s Office and its users.”
Kevin Hill. Hill
is a former district manager for the Washington County Republican Party. A
challenge by Hough to Hill’s nominating petition, because it misrepresented his
employment status, was dismissed on Monday. Hill maintains that he is
self-employed selling sports memorabilia and that he has business knowledge as
a manager in the insurance industry. Traditional Republicans appear to back
Hill’s campaign.
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