Lackawanna County voters sent a message Tuesday night: enough with the drama.
Former state representative Thom Welby cruised to victory in the special election for Lackawanna County Commissioner, earning 27,793 votes and securing more than 43 percent of the total in a three-way race that capped months of legal wrangling, party infighting, and political theater.
Welby’s win wasn’t just decisive — it was cathartic. After nearly a year of gridlock and grandstanding fueled by Bill Gaughan, county voters reclaimed the narrative. The result restores stability to county government and delivers a rebuke to those who tried to hijack the process for their own control.
Republican Chet Merli finished second with 20,453 votes. On the bottom was Gaughan’s hand-picked choice, independent Michael Cappellini with 15,688, nearly 12,000 votes shy of Welby.
Since Matt McGloin’s resignation eight months ago, Gaughan spent more time in court than in governance. He challenged the Home Rule Charter and stalled the appointment process. His antics delayed representation for months and cost taxpayers time, money, and trust.
When the courts sided with the charter and allowed Brenda Sacco to serve temporarily, Gaughan still wasn’t satisfied. His allies attempted to undercut both Sacco and the election board, even floating a theory that she could somehow remain in office after the election. It was a bizarre play that fooled no one and infuriated many.
Despite that noise, Welby stayed on message. Backed by the county Democratic Committee, he earned over 9,600 mail-in ballots — more than 60 percent of that total — and never trailed on Election Day.
“I think it’s showing the faith in the people that they know that I mean what I said,” Welby told supporters at Café Rinaldi in Old Forge, joined by Sacco herself. “All I want to do is do the right thing and work together and put aside all the acrimony that’s been going on.”
His first priority, he said, will be to bring more state funding and revenue into the county — a goal well within reach given his experience in Harrisburg and the relationships he built there.
The commissioner’s race was just one highlight in a night of sweeping Democratic victories. Lauren Bieber Mailen, the incumbent Clerk of Judicial Records, crushed her opponents with 26,894 votes to Republican Susanne Preambo Green’s 20,115 and Independent Democrat Colleen Eagen Gerrity’s 15,292. Evie Rafalko McNulty secured her eighth term as Recorder of Deeds with 42,089 votes to Sharon Soltis Sparano’s 20,799. Fran Kovaleski, Register of Wills, won by nearly 20,000 votes over Vanessa Leinert. Sheriff Mark McAndrew once again defeated Glenn Capman, extending his tenure with more than 44,000 votes. District Attorney Brian Gallagher and Judge Mark Powell both ran unopposed, while Judge Andy Jarbola easily won retention.
It was, by any measure, a Democratic sweep — a clear rejection of the dysfunction that Gaughan has come to symbolize.
Welby’s win carries a simple mandate: end the theatrics and start governing. Even Michael Cappellini, who ran as an independent, acknowledged as much. “It was a good night for the Democratic Party,” he said. “It shows the true power of the Democratic Party in Lackawanna County.”
The people of Lackawanna County have made their choice — not just for Thom Welby, but for collaboration over chaos, competence over court filings, and results over rhetoric.
Gaughan tried to derail that. Voters derailed him instead.
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