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City Council President Michael Cherepko is the next mayor of McKeesport.

According to complete but unofficial returns from the Allegheny County Division of Elections, Cherepko, a Democrat, won by better than a 2-to-1 margin over city Controller Raymond Malinchak, an independent. Election tallies show Cherepko with 2,144 votes, Malinchak with 831, and 20 write-ins.

Cherepko was the endorsed Democratic candidate and had the backing of former Mayor Jim Brewster, now a state senator. He will replace outgoing Mayor Regis McLaughlin, who was appointed in December 2010 to fill the year remaining on Brewster's term.

A teacher for 12 years, Cherepko told the Daily News that he would take a leave of absence from McKeesport Area School District if elected.

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There will be two new faces on McKeesport City Council, where four Democratic candidates were running for four seats. No Republicans were running.

Newcomer Keith Soles was the top vote-getter, with 2,200 ballots. Richard J. Dellapenna, who was appointed to council earlier this year to fill the seat held by his late father, came second with 2,127 votes. Daniel Carr, another newcomer, was third, with 2,052 votes, and incumbent Dale McCall was fourth, with 2,011 votes. County results indicate 25 write-in votes were cast.

McCall was appointed to council in 2010 to fill a vacancy left when McLaughlin was appointed mayor.

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In the race for McKeesport Area School Director, with five seats available, newcomer Mary Jane Keller, running on both the Democratic and Republican tickets, was the top vote-getter, with 3,548 ballots cast. Incumbent Joe Lopretto, also cross-filed, came second, with 3,349 votes; Democrat Terri Kisan was third with 3,326 votes.

Incumbent Chris Halaszynski, running as a Democrat, was fourth, with 3,142 votes, and incumbent and school board vice president Steven Kondrosky, a Democrat, came in fifth with 2,986.

Scott Smith and Ken Peoples, running as Republicans, received 2,805 and 1,951 votes, respectively, not enough to claim one of the five available seats.

County election results indicate that 48 people cast write-in votes. In addition to the city, the district includes Dravosburg, Versailles and White Oak boroughs and South Versailles Township.

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In White Oak, challenger Joseph Nagy was apparently unsuccessful in his bid for a seat on borough council, though the county's unofficial returns show him only 13 votes behind the third-place finisher. Three seats were open. The top vote-getters were incumbents David Pasternak, a Democrat, with 1,177 votes; Ron Massung, Republican, with 1,154 votes; and Charles Davis, Republican, with 1,017 votes.

Nagy, a Republican, received 1,004 votes. There were 10 write-in votes cast.

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In other races of local interest, five candidates were seeking five open seats on the South Allegheny School Board, which includes Glassport, Liberty, Port Vue and Lincoln boroughs. They are Luke F. Riley, James Jackson, Russell A. Geary, Timothy V. Wackowski and Arlene S. Schinosi. All candidates were filed as both Republicans and Democrats.

In Liberty Borough, Councilwoman M. Jane Weigand faced no opposition in her bid for re-election. Seven people cast write-in votes.

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In Port Vue, incumbent Councilman Ken Hresko, running on both the Republican and Democratic tickets, was the top vote-getter for one of three open seats on borough council, with 468 ballots cast, according to unofficial but complete Allegheny County election returns.

Fellow incumbent Marshall Black, also cross-filed, was second, with 443 votes, and Russell Wooster Jr., a Democrat, was third, with 398 votes. Republican Brent Kovac was fourth with 239 votes, and independent Chris Moisey was fifth, with 167 votes. Four write-in votes were cast.

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Three people were seeking five seats on the Duquesne School Board. They are Sonya Chambers, Calvina Harris and Cedric F. Robertson. The district, which has a long history of budget deficits and poor test scores, is expected to be dissolved by the state.

In East Allegheny School District, Region 8, Democrat Keith Dandar appears to have edged Republican Dolores Brown by the slimmest of margins --- four votes --- with 150 ballots to Brown's 146. No write-in votes were recorded.

In Glassport, where four seats were open on council, Thomas Bradley Jr., David Kowalski, Anna Maria Kudla and Nancy Heath Crncic were the top vote-getters. Bradley, Kowalski and Kudla were filed on both the Republican and Democratic tickets, while Crncic, the only incumbent, was running as a Democrat. Republican Norbert Piekut came in fifth, trailing Crncic by 132 votes.

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