Last summer a Westmoreland County judge ordered the resignation of Westmoreland County’s three-term Register of Wills.
In February, Gov. Josh Shapiro and the state Senate chose a new temporary administrator for the courthouse office.
Later this month, Republican voters will have their say when they go to the polls to nominate a candidate who will serve in the job to oversee the office where wills, estates, adoptions, guardianships and marriage licenses and filed and processed.
Current Register of Wills Jon Wian, former interim Register Katie Pecarchik and Kimberly Horrell, a former office deputy, are vying for the Republican nomination to serve out an abbreviated two-year term following the court-prompted ouster last summer of Republican incumbent Sherry Magretti Hamilton.
No Democratic candidates will appear on the primary ballot.
Hamilton was forced to resign after she was found in contempt of court for violating judicial orders that required her to correct systemic deficiencies that for years plagued the office and plunged it into conservatorship for about three months. That led to the hiring of Pecarchik, who previously worked for more than two decades in the office and returned last year to oversee its rehabilitation.
Wian, a former deputy treasurer and chief of staff to Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes, was appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate earlier this year to take over as Register of Wills through the end of 2025. Pecarchik, who was a registered Democratic at the time Hamilton was last elected, was not eligible for the gubernatorial appointment.
“I am the person who worked there for 20 years and I am the person who when the office was in shambles trained the staff and turned it around. None of the other candidates stepped up to do that,” Pecarchik said.
Wian said his expertise is in county government operations and that his skill set is what is needed to oversee the administrative duties of the court-related row office.
“My experience in county government is in leadership roles. At the end of the day this role is an administrative role,” Wian said.
Wian, 43, of Salem, has been in county government for the last decade, first serving as chief deputy to Treasurer Jared Squires before serving as the top aide to Kertes after he was elected in 2020.
During his first three months in office, Wian said he has started to revamp antiquated administrative processes, streamlined state reporting and payments systems and is integrating its operations with other county functions.
He said his experience in other facets of county government will benefit the register of wills office.
“The best thing this office needed is a fresh set of eyes to see what things were operating well and what things needed to be addressed. I have expertise in overall county operations and I bring that to the table,” Wian said.
Pecarchik, 57, of Hempfield, said the her role in revamping the office following Hamilton’s demotion and resignation is proof that she can do the job and suggested it should be more public-facing and accessible to the county residents.
And she criticized Wian’s appointment to replace her in the job.
“I do believe it was unfair. They had somebody in there who knew what the job needed and instead they put someone in there who is a political opportunist and has insider ties,” Pecarchik said. “This job should not be political. It should be about who knows the job and who can get it done.”
Pecarchik ran for Register of Wills in 2019 and was defeated by Hamilton.
Hamilton also defeated Horrell in that year’s Republican primary.
Horrell, 60, of Greensburg, served as the second deputy in the Register of Wills office from 2016 to 2018 and now works as a transportation manager with United Natural Foods Inc. in New Stanton. She previously worked for more than two decades at the U.S. Postal Service including stints as postmaster in Youngstown and Penn Borough.
She said that during her tenure working as the third ranking administrator in the register of wills office she spoke out about issues that ultimately led to Hamilton’s ouster and understands the job she is seeking.
“I have years of experience to bring to the office. What separates me from the other two candidates is that I’ll do more for the community and strengthen relationships,” Horrell said.