Two Realtors® mark wins in their primary election run

Two Pennsylvania Realtors® were successful in their primary elections bids last week and both were backed by PAR’s Alliance for a Better Pennsylvania and their local associations.

Realtor® Allan Domb, an incumbent on Philadelphia City Council, finished second out of nearly 30 candidates in the city’s primary election held in May. Through the support of many individuals and stakeholders around Pennsylvania and the country, Domb secured one of the top five ballot positions in the Democratic primary, allowing him to run for reelection in November’s general election.

Domb, a long-time member of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors®, was supported by his local and state associations. He served as president of his local association in 1990 and again in 2013-15. Domb said he’s grateful for the help that NAR, PAR and GPAR offered for his campaign. “Because some of the help was an independent expenditure, I had no idea of the support that was going on,” he said. “Afterwards, I found out what the associations had done for my campaign and I really appreciated their efforts.”

“I think when I served as president of GPAR, I saw the need for someone to step up and help the city,” Domb said. “GPAR had a slogan, ‘The voice for the future of Philadelphia.’ We’re not just about real estate, we’re about what’s best for Philadelphia. We care about the future of the city, the people and the neighborhoods. Raising the quality of life for the people who live in Philadelphia is important. My main goals are taking people out of poverty, creating more jobs and opportunities, improving the quality of schools and bringing more people into the city to expand the tax base.”

“Allan Domb has been a great advocate for property owners since he took office,” said GPAR CEO Matt Braden. “Allan wants to see Philadelphia thrive and has done so by supporting programs that encourage investing in the city, creating jobs, improving education and collecting delinquent taxes.”

Realtor® Michael Rivera finished second on the ballot behind Christian Leinbach, running on the same ticket for the two Republican Berks County commissioner seats. Rivera collected 8,779 votes behind Lienbach’s 9,592 votes, and bested incumbent Mark Scott, who received 6,968 votes.

The Reading-Berks County Association of Realtors® supported Rivera’s campaign and the Alliance for a Better Pennsylvania conducted an independent expenditure for him.

“I’m extremely grateful for the Realtor® support I received for my campaign,” Rivera said. “The three mailers by the alliance were great and had a huge impact on this campaign. I’m honored that the Realtor® organizations supported my campaign.”

“It was uphill battle against a 24-year incumbent, but we worked hard and were able to pull it off,” he added.

Reading-Berks Association’s Director of Government and Community Affairs John Savant said, “The three county commissioner seats are among the most important offices in local government. Our association chose to support Michael Rivera because he ran on issues that are vital to our community and to our members. As a Realtor®, Michael has firsthand experience dealing with the same challenges that our members and their clients deal with on a daily basis, making him the ideal candidate to address them.”

Rivera has been a Realtor® for three years, along with wife, Zylkia Rivera, at Keller Williams in Wyomissing. Their son is currently studying to be a Realtor® as well.

The Alliance for a Better Pennsylvania supports candidates who understand the positive effect homeownership has on families and communities, provided support for four other candidates:

• Annarose Ingarra-Milch for Reading mayor (LOSS): Ingarra-Milch finished second in the field of four candidates, losing to challenger Eddie Moran (1,887 votes to 1,320). Ingarra-Milch did best incumbent Wally Scott by about 60 votes.
• Lorretta Spielvogel for Lawrence County commissioner (WIN): Spielvogel was the top vote-getter in the Democratic primary, receiving 4,546 votes (Timothy Fulkerson received 3,292 to join her on the general election ballot).
• Daniel Bost for Lebanon County recorder of deeds (LOSS): Bost received 44.86% of the vote compared to winner Dawn Blauch, who received 55.07%.
• Joshua Siegel for Allentown City Council (WIN): Challenger Siegel finished second overall on the Democratic side, receiving 1,925 votes (top Democratic vote-getter received 2,128 votes), as a couple of challengers upset incumbents for these city council races. Siegel and the other three top vote-getters move on to the general election.