Rounding the Bend on Primaries Day

We must not like rain here. Either that or we're waiting for November's general elections to let our voices be heard concerning school board, borough/township and county races.

Baldwin-Whitehall Patch Editor has visited eight of the Baldwin-Whitehall area's 15 polling places so far on Tuesday.

Healy has interviewed a number of local elections officials and candidates campaigning outside of polling places and has come away with one major summation: Tuesday's elections won't see a lot of voters.

Most of the interviewees, including Baldwin Borough Mayor Alexander R. Bennett Jr.—who was handing out fliers promoting the re-election of Democrats Michael Stelmasczyk, John Ferris and David M. Depretis to the Baldwin Borough Council—are blaming the low turnout on rainy weather, but Bennett was quick to point out that primary elections aren't seen as attractive to voters as general elections, which will take place in November.

Bennett was campaigning for Stelmasczyk, Ferris and Depretis at the Lafferty Center on Joseph Street as Healy swung by there at around 2 p.m.

Paul Hayhurst Sr., a resident of Hollyrood Drive in Baldwin Borough, was also at the Lafferty Center campaigning for the "," made up of Baldwin-Whitehall School Board candidates Marion M. Shannon, Kevin A. Stiffey, Lora J. Kalwarski, Richard J. Kirsch and Tracy Macek.

Healy met Depretis' mother, Dolores Depretis, a Baldwin Borough resident who lives on Missionary Drive, as Dolores was working the polls at .

Though Option Independent wasn't too busy either when Healy stopped by there at around 12:30 p.m., it was doing better than , which was reporting exceptionally below-average numbers this year at around noon.

Healy spotted "Residents for Lower Taxes and Better Education" committee member Larry Pantuso at Baldwin High. Pantuso was campaigning on behalf of himself, Laurencine Romack, Kevin J. Fischer, Sam DiNardo Jr., Diana Kazour and Ray Rosing for spots on the B-W School Board. Pantuso lives on Jill Drive in Whitehall Borough.

Romack was spotted campaigning for that committee as well at the  at around 12:50 p.m. Romack lives on Range Drive in Baldwin Borough.

Cindy Kirsch and Kevin Macek, both campaigning for the "Better Board" committee, were also at the Wallace Building at 12:50. Cindy and Kevin are the spouses of Richard Kirsch and Tracy Macek, respectively. The Kirsches live on Benson Circle Drive in Whitehall, while the Maceks live on Senior Drive in Baldwin Borough.

Over at , Healy ran into Tracy Macek at around 1:30 p.m.

Just before that, Healy met Rosing at the at around 1:20 p.m. Rosing lives on Hazelhurst Avenue in Baldwin Borough.

Other stops along Part I of the B-W Patch's Election Day journey were the and .

Saint Albert's was reporting "a decent turnout" at around 1:10 p.m., but the Whitehall Borough building was "slow" at around 12:15.

Healy's next stops are the , the complex, , , , and the  Park Community House.

Polls are open until 8 p.m. tonight, so there is still time to vote on your way home from work.