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A storefront, a banquet hall, an auto tag store and even private homes provide a venues for residents to vote in Strawberry Mansion and Brewerytown. These polling places may be less traditional than the public schools or community centers voters are accustomed to. However, there is no reason to believe that the venue would effect the process. Some believe it actually makes it easier.
According to Ruth Meiluta, a poll watcher with 15 years of experience, the previous venue was in the basement of a local school. However, “the older people couldn’t get down the steps” says Meiluta, “So [Greg Baker] volunteered his storefront here where we’re at now so the older people can come in and don’t have to worry about going up and down steps.”
The storefront, located on the border of the Brewerytown neighborhood, serves as storage space for the owner, and twice a year, doubles as a polling place.
As for the election, the race for state representative was the most prominent in Strawberry Mansion and Brewerytown, located in the 195th district. At stake was longtime Representative Frank Oliver’s seat. Democrat Michelle Brownlee bested Republican James Kernaghan III for the seat in the state legislature with 15,108 votes to 2,205, according to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s website.
Brownlee, a former adviser to Oliver, was expected to win and did so in a landslide despite accusations by her opponent that she owed up to $26,000 in back taxes and bills on multiple properties, calling her a “deadbeat and tax cheat.”
Brownlee replied that she and her husband had signed up for payment plans with the city to relieve the debt and that this was done before declaring her candidacy.
See graphic below to view photos from election.
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