WAYNE COUNTY, PA — Voters across Pennsylvania chose to retain the state's three Democratic Supreme Court justices in Tuesday's elections, with Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht earning another 10 years on the bench with that result. In Honesdale, incumbent Derek Williams retained his seat as Mayor, while his challenger Jim Hamill will retain his seat on Borough Council. 

All results are unofficial at this time, and are accurate as of 12 am on Wednesday, November 5. 

Retention

The state Supreme Court retention races are generally "low-interest, low-spending races" that favor incumbents, according to Spotlight PA. However, the races attracted attention in this year's election cycle, due to a Republican focus on decisions from the Democrat-majority court that were seen as having partisan bias.

All candidates retained their seats with 61% of the vote; additionally, Alice Beck Dubow retained her seat on the Superior Court with 61% of the vote and Michael Wojcik retained his seat on the Commonwealth Court with 62% of the vote. 

Voters elected Democrat Brandon Neuman to the Superior Court, with 55.22% of the vote cast, over Maria Battista (R) and Daniel Wassmer (Libertarian). They elected Democrat Stella Tsai to the Commonwealth Court over Republican Matt Wolford, with 55.97% of the vote. 

Margy Coccodrilli, a member of the Wayne County Democratic Committee, told the River Reporter that retention votes are typically a "no-brainer," and that people usually don't pay much attention. This year, however, the "other side" has put focus on the race, she said. 

"There's only one way to go on it. You have to vote yes," Coccodrilli said. She pointed to the Supreme Court's decision to strike down a "gerrymandered" redistricting map, as well as the court's upholding of women's rights and education and its decisions in suites filed by President Trump challenging the results of the 2020 election. 

Steve Adams, chair of the Wayne County Republican Party, told the River Reporter, "We feel that it's time for them to go." He said there were any number of reasons, and said that the courts were supposed to be non-partisan.

Tabling outside a Honesdale polling place, Debbie Seitz told the River Reporter she was giving people information on the judge's retention race; "Our freedoms need to be protected," she said. She took particular issue with the judges' decisions during the Covid pandemic, which she said took away a lot of freedoms. 

Honesdale

In Honesdale, incumbent Derek Williams beat challenger Jim Hamill for mayor with 68.67% of the vote, with 822 votes to 348 votes. 

Williams told the River Reporter, "I'm grateful for the community support and, in turn, the opportunity to support our community for another four years. There are many important, upcoming projects we'll all be able to work on together."

"I look forward to meeting more neighbors and encouraging them to be local leaders, in the things they care about most," Williams added. 

Kim Fisch (19.02%), William McAllister (18.69%), Jason Newbon (17.19%) and Jim Hamill (15.39%) retained seats on the Honesdale Borough Council. Incumbent James Cordaro lost his seat with 14.92% of the vote, and newcomer Joseph Mele only earned 13.72% of the vote. 

The remaining seat on the Honesdale Borough Council, a two-year term, will be filled by Patrick Resti, who earned 55.38% of the vote over Larissa Ann Llewellyn. 

Turnout

2025 saw comparatively high turnout in Wayne County for a year without major national elections on the ballot, potentially due to the statewide retention races. 

Wayne County saw 39.14% voter turnout, compared to 34% in 2023. The majority of those voters (95%) cast a ballot in the rentention race, with just over 45% voting 'Yes' to retain. 

By comparison, Wayne County went 68% for Trump in the 2024 elections. 

Honesdale also saw high turnout for its local elections. The borough saw 43% voter turnout, with 1255 ballots cast. Comparatively, the last mayoral race in 2021 saw a 36% turnout, with 1028 ballots cast. 

This roundup includes select, competitive races. For full statistics, visit https://www.waynecountypa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7882/2025__MUNICIPAL_ELECTION_UNOFFICIAL_RESULTS.