GOP sweeps Etown, Warwick school board races; Dems sweep Manheim Township, earn seats in Hempfield

• By Ashley Stalnecker/LNP | LancasterOnline

This story is published in partnership with our sister newsroom LNP | LancasterOnline.

In four key Lancaster County school board races, Republicans swept seats on the Warwick and Elizabethtown Area boards, while Democrats swept Manheim Township and put two on the board in Hempfield, which has been ground zero for debates over hot-button social issues.

In Hempfield, Megan Eshleman and Judy Brady, who ran on a slate of five Democrats under the banner of Support Hempfield Schools, won a seat alongside incumbent Republicans Grant Keener, Justin Wolgemuth and Patrick Wagner.

“It’s truly historic that we’ve got two Democrats,” Brady said. “Obviously, the message we were trying to get across to Hempfield has resonated with people in a way that it hasn’t in the past.”

With 7,230 votes, Eshleman was the top overall vote-getter, followed by Wolgemuth 7,214; Brady 7,156; Keener, 7,111; and Wagner, 7,104.

Voter makeup has become more evenly split in recent years in the district, where registered Republicans control only a plurality of the electorate at about 46%.

Board President Dylan Bard was not reelected. First-time Republican candidate Fae Skuya and first-time Democratic candidates Erin Small, Kaleb Best and Peter Langseth were not elected.

“It just goes to show that what we have said and what we tried to show the voters of Hempfield is that decisions that the current board has made are not the direction we’d like to see the board going,” Brady said.

Hempfield was the first district in the state to pass a policy limiting athletes to performing on a team aligned with their biological sex, and the school board did so against the advice of its former solicitor, Fox Rothschild.

Keener was the only Republican on the board to get an endorsement from the Hempfield Area Education Association alongside the five Democratic candidates.

“It was a hard fought campaign on both sides, but the campaign is over, and the voters have spoken,” Keener said. “And it’s now incumbent on everyone who was elected to work together, still advocate for the policies that are important to them, but everyone now needs to work together with the best interest of the students, faculty, staff, and taxpayers.

“I don’t care who voted for me and who didn’t vote for me, they’re all my constituents.”

Elizabethtown Area SD

In Elizabethtown, Republicans Kelly Carter, James Gilles, Lynda Shrum, Tina Wilson and Menno Riggelman swept the race. Democratic candidates Kristy Moore, Sarah Zahn, Kelly Fuddy, Karin Laszakovits and Dwight Eichelberger weren’t elected.

Democrats needed help from moderate Republicans and independent voters to win seats in a district where a dominant GOP voter base has historically locked Democrats out of the school board. Republicans outnumber Democrats in Elizabethtown more than 2 to 1.

The Democrats did have support from several moderate Republicans in Elizabethown, including four of the outgoing school board members – President Terry Seiders, Caroline Lavani, Karen Sweigart and Craig Hummer – but it wasn’t enough.

“It was always going to be an uphill battle in our school district, just because of the difference in registration, but I’m really proud of the way that we found ways to reach across the aisle to bring people together,” said Moore, who ran in two former elections.

Moore has run in every school board race in Elizabethtown Area School District since 2019.

The new board will not have institutional knowledge on its side.

Only one of the elected candidates has served on the board previously — Menno Riggleman who was elected for a two-year term in 2019. Three of the four remaining school board members – James Emery and Danielle and Stephen Lindemuth – were elected in 2021. James Reed was elected in 2019.

Manheim Township SD

The top five vote-getters, all Democrats, were JoAnn Hentz, Sara Woodbury, Terrance Henderson, Patrick Grenter and Mark Boldizar.

“We’ve worked very hard. We’ve talked to a lot of voters,” Hentz said. “But I think that what that really represents is that community feeling toward the issues that have been brought up. We’ve found in the past that Manheim Township voters are more centrist. They’re really not on the edges … voters just want common sense, get the work done, school board members.”

Republican candidates Michaela Adcock, Michael Zimmerman, David Burnett, Tess Vo Wallace and incumbent Keith Krueger were not elected to the board.

Krueger didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.

Democrats elected to the board relied on not only the support of their party, but prominent Republicans in the area to get elected. For example, outgoing Republican board President Stephen Grosh and former Republican board President Hannah Bartges joined Democrat school board member Nikki Rivera in writing a column supporting the Democratic slate last month.

Hentz said she was thankful for LNP | LancasterOnline’s coverage and believed that made voters more aware of the issues in the community.

“People were more aware than usual,” Hentz said. “It’s very easy to get caught up on the national level. And you don’t necessarily always know even who’s running on a local level, unless you’re directly involved. But I think that LNP can really take a bow as having kept the issues in front of people.”

Republicans have less of an advantage in Manheim Township compared to other hotly contested districts as they make up only a 45% plurality of voters. Independents account for about 17% of the electorate and play a key role in deciding who emerges victorious in November.

But Democrats now control the school board for the first time since 2019, holding a 6-3 advantage. The board previously had a 6-3 Republican advantage.

Krueger, an incumbent on the board, unsuccessfully pushed for a policy that would limit transgender athletes from playing on a sports team aligning with their gender identity.

Warwick SD

Republicans Scott F. Landis, Daniel C. Woolley, Michael Brown, Bill Breault and Reggie Weaver beat out Democrats Amanda Chap, Kellye McMillion, Lydia Walker de Ardon, Kimberly Regennas and Cynthia Wingenroth for the five four-year seats on the board.

Republicans Amy Martin and Angie Lingo were elected to the two two-year seats over Democrats Cyndi DeLong and Dick Hall.

The Warwick Democratic slate campaign manager Erin Gibson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night. A call to Weaver also went unanswered.

Odds were stacked against the seven Democrats running under the banner Support Warwick Schools. Republicans make up 55% of the registered voters in Warwick, while Democrats account for only 29%.

Warwick’s board is entirely Republican, with the exception of Leslie Penkunas who recently left the GOP. Those familiar with the school board’s history say a Democrat has never been elected in Warwick.

Landis and Woolley, who were both appointed in the last two years, won four-year seats on the board. The two-year seats they left vacant were filled by fellow Republicans Martin and Lingo.

Other contested school board races

Columbia Borough SD

Of the seven candidates running for five four-year seats in the Columbia Borough School District Democratic incumbents Sandra Duncan, Kathleen Hohenadel and Lauren Vonstetten won seats on the school board, along with cross-filed incumbent Charles Leader and newcomer Republican Cole F. Knighton.

Leader, the current president of the board, led the night’s vote count.

Of the two candidates running for one two-year seat in the Columbia Borough School District, Republican Michael Burke defeated Democratic incumbent Sonya Duncan.

School District of Lancaster

Of the six candidates running for five four-year seats in the School District of Lancaster, Democratic incumbents Kareena Rios, Katrina Timberlake Holmes, Cheryl Desmond, Robin Goodson and Molly Henderson reclaimed spots on the school board.

Arthur Mann Sr., the sole Republican on the ballot, did not secure a seat.

Cocalico SD

Of the six candidates running for five four-year seats in the Cocalico Area School District, incumbent Republicans Pamela L.K. Blickle, Kevin Eshleman, Juanita Fox and Desiree Wagner were joined by fellow Republican Gary Hambright on the school board.

Kerry Gable, the sole Democrat on the ballot, did not secure a seat.

Conestoga Valley SD

Of the six candidates running for five four-year seats in the Conestoga Valley School District, incumbent Republicans Idette B. Groff, Mark Gensel and Diane M. Martin will be joined by fellow Republicans Julie Fisher and Philip Eby on the school board.

Sindy M. Pollard, the sole Democrat on the ballot, did not secure a seat.

Eastern Lancaster County SD

Of the six candidates running for five four-year seats in the Eastern Lancaster County School District, incumbent Republicans Brian T. Conroy, Thomas E. Wentzel and Jacqueline Geyer will be joined by fellow Republicans Phil Stolzfus and Jarod Hynson on the school board.

Democratic challenger Sean Reese failed to secure a seat.

Ephrata Area SD

Of the six candidates running for five four-year seats in the Ephrata Area School District, Republican incumbents Judy S. Beiler, Chris Weber, Timothy Stauffer and Trisha Good claimed spots alongside newcomer Republican Jason Breckbill as school directors.

Lone Democrat Timothy L. Craven failed to secure a seat.

Lampeter-Strasburg SD

Of 10 candidates running for five four-year seats in the Lampeter-Strasburg School District, incumbent Republicans Melissa Herr, Matthew E. Parido and Kari Steinbacher will be joined on the board by newcomer Republicans Kristin M. Staley and Dean McComsey.

Democrats Jennie Porter, Sarah Cook, Gerald Henige, Nancy Schmeichel and Susan Douglas-Reed failed to gain a seat on the board.

Of the two candidates running for one two-year seat in the Lampeter-Strasburg School District, Republican incumbent Kelly Osbourne defeated Democrat Lauren Kuntz to retain her seat on the board.

Manheim Central SD

Of the seven candidates running for five four-year seats in Manheim Central’s School District, incumbent Republicans Andrew Sensenig, Amy Beachy and Robert Creighton will be joined by cross-filed incumbent Michael Clair and newcomer Republican Michelle Gingrich on the school board.

Octorara Area SD

Based on the results available at press time: Of the five candidates running for three four-year seats in Octorara Region 1, Republican incumbent Anthony Falgiatore and newcomer Joseph Rzonca joined cross-filed candidate Karen A. Williamson to claim seats on the school board, unseating Democratic incumbents Lisa Yelovich and Brian K. Norris.

Of the two candidates running for one four-year seat in Octorara Region 2, Republican Joelyn Metzler defeated Democrat Ian Brendle.

Of the two candidates running for one four-year seat in Octorara Region 3, Republican Jacob Lusby Jr. defeated Democrat Brian P. Fox

Penn Manor SD

Of the nine candidates running for five four-year seats in Penn Manor, Republican incumbents Donna J. Wert, Anthony Lombardo, Joseph G. Fullerton and Dell Jackson alongside Republican newcomer Matthew Beakes claimed seats on the board.

Democratic challengers Leah Bacon, Timothy W. Guy, Joshua Hunter and Reilly Noetzel failed to secure a seat.

Staff writers Sarah Nicell and Nathan Willison contributed to this story. Willison and Nicell cover campaign finance; his work is funded by the Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund. For more information, or to make a contribution, please visit lanc.news/supportlocaljournalism.