Published: May 20, 2009 12:59 am      

Decort, Zungali keep DJ seats

PORTAGE — Longtime District Judge Galen Decort once again captured the support of voters Tuesday on both the Democratic and Republican ballots.

The race was hotly contested with Decort, a district judge since 1985, challenged by Bob Kunko, a veteran Cambria County sheriff’s deputy

But the results of Tuesday’s primary showed Decort outpacing Kunko nearly 2-to-1 on the Democratic side with all

14 precincts reporting.

Unofficial votes show Decort at 1,300 votes or 58 percent; Kunko captured 744 votes or

33 percent.

The margin was slimmer on the Republican side, but Decort still won and eliminated any chance of a run-off in the fall general election.

Decort received 407 votes, or 55 percent, while Kunko received 264 votes, or 35 percent, on the GOP side.

A third candidate, Mary McCoy, was well behind on both ballots with 190 votes or 9 percent from Democrats, and

72 votes or 10 percent from Republicans.

“I don’t know what happened,” McCoy said Tuesday night. “I thought the voting would have been a lot closer than it was.”

Neither Decort nor Kunko could be reached for comment, after conducting vigorous campaigns for several weeks.

The district covers Portage, Lilly, Cassandra and Wilmore boroughs and Portage, Washington, Munster and Summerhill townships.

Hastings District Judge Michael Zungali handily won his fifth term, outpacing his opponent, Brian Gates – a constable and professional body guard from Flinton.

Zungali, of Patton, outpaced Gates 4-to-1 on the Democratic side and about 3-to-1 on the Republican side, eliminating any race between the two in the fall.

With all 18 precincts reporting, unofficial results showed Zungali with 2,044 Democratic votes to Gates’ 486 votes.

On the Republican side, Zungali received 556 to Gates’ 195.

Gates said he thinks he lost because he did not have the certification from the state to hold the judicial seat, something that can be obtained after winning the seat.

“People were under the belief that you had to go to school to get elected,” Gates said late Tuesday.

Zungali could not be reached for comment.

The magisterial district covers Northern Cambria, Patton and Hastings boroughs and Barr, Susquehanna, Elder, Chest, Clearfield, White and West Carroll townships.