With the November 2 elections right around the corner, beginning this week, we at the Beacon will be posting handy primers to the upcoming races. Our goal here is simple: There’s a lot of races going on in Bucks, and they all matter. But with the world being a crazy place — and Bucks also being a slightly crazy place right now situated within that crazier place — it’s easy to get distracted.
Without sounding too bossy: You shouldn’t. Whether we’re talking about the DA’s race or the scads of hyperlocal school board races, there will be outcomes here that will affect both your immediate community and and the larger community of Bucks County — 600,000 of your neighbors, give or take a bunch.
We make no bones about this being a politically progressive site, but even if you’re here hate-reading for the other side (we see you), we want to welcome you and encourage you to please, please vote, no matter who you’re voting for.
With that being said, let’s meet today’s candidates!
CANDIDATES FOR SHERIFF, BUCKS COUNTY
Name: Fred Harran
Party Affiliation: R
Experience: More than 33 years of law enforcement experience in Bucks County, including serving as the Director of Public Safety for more than 14 years
Platform Issues: Harran is clearly the cops’ candidate here, though the issues he’s running on seem to be unstated, other than just being generally pro-police. Red flags abound, though, such as this bit from a recent Courier piece: “Harran wanted his police department to partner with federal agents from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and to conduct immigration checks on suspected undocumented immigrants in custody for suspicion of unrelated misdemeanor or felony offenses.” He also echoed the edibles-in-your-kids’-Halloween candy fallacy.
Notable Endorsements: FOPs and roofers.
Quotable Quotes: “I have great working relationships with all the departments and have out-of-box approaches,” from a March piece in Levittown Now.
Website: harran4sheriff.com
Name: Mark E. Lomax
Party Affiliation: D
Experience: A 27-year career with the PA State Police, elected to the Warrington Township Board of Supervisors in 2019.
Platform Issues: Lomax primaried Dem Sheriff Milt Warrell in a Bucks Dems kerfuffle that saw him handily slay the incumbent back in November. Like Harran, Lomax has not posted a lot about the specific issues he’d like to highlight (his main campaign page is a Facebook profile), but that kerfuffle is instructive; Lomax wound up in this place after Warrell had it out with Bucks Dems after perhaps appearing a little too “thin blue line flag” for most Bucks Dems to be comfortable with. As a result, Lomax has been positioned as a progressive and is campaigning with Dem DA candidate Antonetta Stancu.
Notable Endorsements: PA Democratic Party, Bucks United
Quotable Quotes: “In light of all the divisiveness going on in our country and our ward today, these little tiny races that may not seem to mean much in the greater outcome in the world, but it does,” Lomax said. “The school board elections, township supervisors, tax collectors. All these small, micro elections that create the very strong and resilient tapestry of democracy that we lie under, and it’s an honor, privilege and quite humbling to be part of this tapestry.”
Website: facebook.com/ElectMarkLomax/
Previously: BUCKS DA RACE 101: YOUR HANDY PRIMER
