Five candidates emerge as sole candidate for November district judge races
WINDBER – Of the two women who sought to fill a district judgeship in Windber, Kayla Kormanik-Lucas emerged the lone candidate after the primary election Tuesday, unofficial election results show.
Kormanik-Lucas, of Ogle Township, advances to the Nov. 4 general election unopposed: she sailed through the Republican primary as the only candidate on the ballot and defeated local attorney Amy Thomas, of Paint Township, in the Democratic primary Tuesday.
Candidates are permitted to cross-file for the seat, which has a six-year term.
Kormanik-Lucas won 582 votes to Thomas' 279 votes in the Democratic primary. She also won 1,417 votes on the Republican side, where she was uncontested.
'I'm honored that the people of my district trust me to move forward on both sides of the ticket,' said Kormanik- Lucas, a Widener Law School graduate who works as a contract administrator for a local defense firm.
She said her victory Tuesday was the culmination of several months of hard work.
'I made an honest run with integrity,' she said. 'I met people (Tuesday) at the polls. It was great to see people come out.'
After the November election, Kormanik-Lucas will serve in the judge's seat, serving communities in the Windber Area and Shade-Central City school districts, succeeding District Judge William Seger, who is retiring at the end of the year.
The Windber-based district judge seat includes communities in the Windber Area and Shade-Central City school districts.
'I have always felt called to public service,' she said.
Thomas said she was thankful to her supporters, but disappointed in recent TV news coverage of the race.
'First and foremost, l'm incredibly grateful to everyone who supported me in this race,' Thomas said. 'Unfortunately, this race was never just about qualifications – it became clear early on that I was also up against media bias and misinformation. The coverage I received was often one-sided and failed to reflect the truth about my record and my character.
'I've overcome significant personal challenges and was fully cleared of past accusations, yet that didn't seem to matter to those determined to discredit me,' she said. 'Despite the loss, I remain committed to serving this community and will continue looking for ways to make a meaningful, positive impact. This was just one chapter – not the end of the story.'
A New Centerville judge's seat, in Somerset's District 16-3-05, also had two challengers – both cross-filed – with one winner on both tickets.
Patrick Svonavec, of Milford Township, secured that primary victory Tuesday over Daniel Lewis, of Confluence Borough.
Svonavec is a longtime attorney with experience practicing at the Common Pleas and federal court levels.
Lewis is a longtime state constable in the region.
Svonavec won 191 Democratic votes to Lewis' 100. On the Republican ticket, Svonavec won 596 votes to Lewis' 473.
District 16-3-05 includes the townships of Black, Jefferson, Milford, Middlecreek, Upper and Lower Turkeyfoot and Casselman, Confluence, New Centerville, Rockwood, Seven Springs and Ursina boroughs. The office was previously held by Sandra Stevanus, who retired last year.
In Cambria County, two men sought election to District 47-3-01, which has been held by longtime District Judge Mary Ann Zanghi.
William 'Bill' Hines Jr., of Nanty Glo, a longtime law enforcement officer now working as a Cambria County detective, won the primary on both party tickets.
His opponent, Aaron Ling, of East Conemaugh, is a former Cambria County public defender who has worked as a full-time assistant prosecutor with the Somerset County District Attorney's Office since 2020.
Hines won 779 votes on the Democratic ballot to Ling's 401. On the Republican side, Hines won 958 votes to Ling's 422 votes.
District 47-3-01 includes Browns- town, East Conemaugh, Franklin, Nanty Glo and Franklin, in addition to the townships of East Taylor, Jackson, Lower Yoder, Middle Taylor and West Taylor.
For Cambria County judge, District Attorney Greg Neugebauer cruised through unopposed primary on both tickets for the position.
He won 9,851 votes on the Republican ticket and 7,980 votes on the Democratic ticket.
In November, he is seeking a seat that has been vacant since former Judge David Tulowitzki retired in 2023.
In Somerset County, District Attorney Molly Metzgar also ran unopposed in her Republican bid for a county judge seat vacated in late 2023 by former President Judge Gregory Geary.
Metzgar, of Somerset Township, won 7,359 votes Tuesday on the Republican ticket.
Russ O'Reilly is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat.
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