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Crucial Luzerne County assessment database still inaccessible due to cyber attack

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Blown away: Reporter recalls fear, devastation when twister struck

<p>Philip Campenni received a Republican nomination in the Wyoming Area School Board race after a tie-breaker procedure Wednesday, according to Luzerne County Election Director Marisa Crispell.</p><p>Campenni and candidate Matt Bartoli were tied for the party&#8217;s fifth nomination slot, with each receiving 576 votes in the May 21 primary, Crispell said.</p><p>While Campenni had initially appeared to be a Republican nominee on election night, Bartoli caught up to him when Wyoming County results were later factored in, Crispell said. That county also has a municipality &#8212; Exeter Township &#8212; in the school district, records show.</p><p>To break the tie, the election office follows a traditional practice of placing numbered balls in a red jar, shaking them and distributing one to each candidate, their proxy or, if no one appears, an election office worker, Crispell said.</p><p>In this case, Bartoli attended but received the ball with the No. 2, making Campenni the nominee, she said, noting Campenni did not appear or send a proxy.</p><p>Five Wyoming Area seats are up for grabs.</p><p>School board candidates can cross-file on both party tickets. In addition to Campenni, the following candidates received both the Democratic and Republican nominations, bolstering their likelihood of a victory in the November general, records show: Toni Valenti, Leonard J. Pribula Jr., Lara Best and Jerry Stofko.</p><p>The election office also performed several tie-breakers Wednesday to determine the November general election ballot order of winning nominees in several races, she said.</p><p><strong>Write-in winners</strong></p><p>Numerous candidates eligible to appear on the ballot due to May primary write-in nominations have been listed on the election page at <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/16872/P2019-WriteIn-Tabulations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.luzernecounty.org, </a>Crispell said.</p><p>This list is still unofficial. The nominees won&#8217;t become official candidates unless they submit statements of acceptance and other required paperwork by June 20, she said.</p><p>&#8220;If they don&#8217;t, they forfeit that nomination,&#8221; Crispell said.</p><p>She mailed letters to all write-in winners informing them of their eligibility and requirements.</p><p>Although computer access had been interrupted due to a Memorial Day weekend cyber attack, Crispell said she was able to retrieve the write-in tally file from the county information technology department before it shut down computers and servers to prevent the virus from spreading.</p><p>As a courtesy, Wyoming County&#8217;s election office allowed Crispell to access a printer needed to prepare the winner notification letters, she said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Crispell </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_Crispell.jpg</photo0><caption0>Crispell </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Tie-breaker nominee announced by Luzerne County election office