As it marks one year since the presidential elections, Lancaster is not at rest yet as November 4th was the day for municipal elections in the city.
This election included different positions within the city of Lancaster, including the mayor, city council, borough council, auditor, township supervisor/commissioner, tax collector, judges of elections as well as the state of Pennsylvania, with the PA Superior Court Judge and the PA Commonwealth Court Judge.
While all positions are important to think about when voting, the mayoral race was the one that received most attention from the media as the incumbent mayor Danene Sorace, from the Democratic party decided to not run again after fulfilling two mandates, meaning eight years, at the head of Lancaster City.
Three candidates lead an intense campaign to be able to get as many citizens able to vote to register and go vote on November 4th.
Democrat Jaime Arroyo, 37, seems to be leading as the favorite, as a continuation of the work done by his party colleague Darene Sorace. His policy programs includes three main topics:
The Economy: supporting small businesses; good paying jobs for Lancaster residents; promoting small businesses by expanding tourism; building on the comprehensive plan; and increasing opportunities for resident input.
The Government: strong fiscal management; increasing budget reporting to the public; modernizing government processes by utilizing technology; simplifying and making it easier to apply for permit applications while maintaining safety compliance; keep water clean and affordable.
Security: improve street safety; host residents town hall meetings; make housing more affordable by updating zoning laws; increase youth development by introducing a Youth Advisory Council.
Up against Jaime Arroyo are two other candidates: Tony Dastra, 28, from the Green Party and J.S. “Woody” Chandler, 60, a former English professor at McCaskey High School and a Navy veteran, as an Independent. Both previously campaigned against mayor Danene Sorace in 2017.
Tony Dastra seems to be Arroyo’s principal challenger, here is what his policy program includes: protecting trans rights, funding the public library, helping to provide affordable housing without relying on the private market; robust regulations on data centers; build a real community trust between the public and the police. He also stated that he will be voting Democrat for all other judicial races. He believes that change can and should happen locally.
Finally, Independent candidate J.S. “Woody” Chandler policy program, which isn’t as accessible information as the Arroyo and Dastra, touches upon the followings as per LNP and Fox43:
Protecting pedestrians by tackling speeding; have a focus on the southeast neighborhoods regarding concerns of being overlooked by the government.
The candidate who will be elected as the new Lancaster City mayor will take their role in office in early 2026 for the next four years. Despite the lack of knowledge about this upcoming election, the mayor will most likely have an impact on daily lives here in Lancaster City, and F&M, as they will be the chief executive of the city as well as handling the city budget while overseeing departments such as the police, the public functions or the fire department.
But what does this mean for the F&M community ?
Brooke Proctor’26, current co-chair of F&M Votes, an on campus non-partisan organization aiming to register students to be able to vote for any elections happening nationwide, at the state and local level, took time to explain the goals of F&M votes regarding this election.
How many students felt the need to register on campus to be able to vote for this municipal election?
“There was definitely lower demand this year than it was last year, primarily in the upperclassmen category. Last year we had a lot of upperclassmen seeking us out to get registered either because the presidential felt worth the barrier of registering or because they wanted to register in Pennsylvania for the presidential election. This year, I haven’t heard from any upperclassmen personally. It’s been mostly first years that are registering for the excitement of voting for the first time so it’s not as much about what’s on the ballot as it is like “oh i just turned 18 i want to vote.”
What was the process for students to be able to register for this municipal election?
“It’s similar to last year. You can register in Lancaster regardless of what’s on the ballot as long as you’ve lived here for at least 30 days. That’s why we tend to target first years because we think upperclassmen have had a lot of time to get registered for other elections, usually the fancier ones are the more exciting ones like a congressperson or a president gets a lot of people to register like we saw last year. We focused a lot on first years because not a lot of them even knew there was an election and so it was just about messaging the fact that there is a local election you can vote in it even though that you’re very new to Lancaster and you should care about it because since you’re living in Lancaster for the next four years; given that you’re a first year the mayor the council people as well as the statewide elections, like the judicial elections, are going to have a direct impact on your life in Pennsylvania for the next four years.”
Overall F&M Votes registered around 80 new students that will be able to vote on November 4th. Ryan Storms ’28 explained why it felt important for him to register and vote here in Lancaster as a F&M student:
“I voted because I think the argument that I’m not going to be here for a certain amount of time is a little disingenuous. And I mean, I’m not just voting for myself. I’m also from New Jersey where things just kind of matter less because the outcome usually ends up being the same every time. So… I also generally just come out to vote because my voice is more heard here than it is back home.”
Another student explained that:
“Personally, I think it’s because I spend most of my time in Lancaster anyway. So I think it’s really important to have a voice in the Lancaster election, especially knowing that this is a place that I spend the most of my time at. I’d like intend on staying here, after college I just think it’s really important to practice our civic duties like I know my polling location is back home in Philly where it’s like I’m not super worried about the mayoral elections there whereas I’m more like worried about it here.”
Senior Agathe Vanmassenhove is a Staff Writer at the College Reporter. Her email is avanmass@fandm.edu.