DEMOCRACY: Yes, another election

Tuesday, May 16, is the primary election, and I just received my first ad in the mail.
Judging from the number of campaign signs along the roads, most of the attention locally seems to be focused on the race for Kennett Square district judge (officially, District 15-3-04). All five candidates (David Cox, Lorraine Ramunno, Al Iacocca, Jane Donze and Sean Rafferty) are registered as both Democrat and Republican.
A celebrity of sorts is running for a seat on the Kennett school board: borough resident Mark Bowden, a former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter and the author of "Black Hawk Down," "Killing Pablo," "Guests of the Ayatollah" and (most recently) "The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden." I met Mark in my reporter days and found him to be friendly, smart, humble and fair. He is cross-filed and is the only candidate running for the school board seat in Kennett Region A.
In the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, Jeff Hellrung and Elise Anderson are running for two seats in Region A and Thomas Day and Steven Simonson are running for two seats in Region B. All four are cross-filed.
In East Marlborough Township, there are two seats on the Board of Supervisors open. On the primary ballot are Democrats Aasif Chanandin, Robert B. McKinstry Jr., and Julia McGovern Lacy and Republicans Eddie Caudill and Tom Simpers.  
Ricki Stumpo is running for re-election for a six-year term as a Pocopson Township supervisor; same for Rob Pearson in Newlin Township, Wendell Fenton in Pennsbury Township, Curtis Mason in Penn Township, Jake Chalfin in West Marlborough Township, and Scudder Stevens in Kennett Township.
There are four seats open on Kennett Square Borough Council. On the primary ballot are Democrats Peter Waterkotte, Brenda Mercomes, Ethan Cramer and Latoya Myers; on the Republican side are Gregory Deveney, Matthew McGill and Dan Maffei. Matt Fetick is running for another four-year term as Kennett Square Mayor.
On the Chester County website there is a link to a complete list of the candidates, from state Supreme Court Justice all the way to local inspector of elections.