By Amy Cherry
Daily Press Staff

With voters headed to the polls for tomorrow’s primary election, here is a recap of the nine Republican and three Democrat candidates vying for the Fifth Congressional District Seat.

Republicans:

• John Krupa, 56, of Pine Creek Township, Clinton County is an insurance representative and a former Pine Creek Township supervisor.

• Derek Walker, 32, of Bigler Township, Clearfield County, is president and founder of Walker Financial Services and adjunct statistics instructor at Penn State DuBois. He is a board member of the Clearfield County Economic Development Corporation and Vice-Chairman of the Moshannon Economic Development Partnership. He is also an Eagle Scout and serves on the Board of the Bucktail Council, Boy Scouts of America

• Lou Radkowski, of St. Marys, Elk County, is the current Elk County Coroner. He was a founding member of the St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce and has been involved with the St. Marys Water Authority, St. Marys Hospital Board, Sacred Heart Parish Finance Committee.

• Glenn Thompson, 48, of Howard Township, Centre County, is a 26 year veteran as a Susquehanna Health Rehab Services Manager in Lycoming County. He is also a volunteer firefighter/EMT, Boy Scout leader, member of the Bald Eagle Area School District Board of Directors, Centre County Republican Party Chairman, a member of the Republican State Committee.

• Matt Shaner, 28, of Port Matilda in Patton Township, Centre County is president of Shaner Investments Limited Partnership. He was a former staff member for Senator Rick Santorum while working in the United States Senate on Capitol Hill. He is a current member of the board of directors for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce, executive committee for the Juniata Valley Boy Scouts, the Pennsylvania Society and the Elks Club.

• Keith Richardson, 46, of Clarion Borough, Clarion County, is the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Clarion. He is a former attorney and has taught Christian ethics and Constitutional law.

• Jeff Stroehmann, 42, of Woodward Township, Lycoming County, is the vice-president of Moran Industries and owns and operates Stroehmann Earthworking Services. He is former Chairman of the Woodward Township Board of Supervisors, He is a current member of the Susquehanna Council Boy Scouts of America Executive Board, and Chairman of the Customer Advisory Board for District 3 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

• Chris Exarchos, 63, of College Township, Centre County is the former Chairman of the Centre County Board of Commissioners, former member of College Township Zoning Hearing Board, served on the Centre Region Council of Governments and was founder and former operator of The Victorian Manor Restaurant for 29 years. He also holds a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from Penn State.

• John Stroup, 50, of Clarion, Clarion County, is the  Clarion borough mayor,  the Executive Director of the Clarion Hospital Foundation, and chairman on the local Chamber of Commerce board.

Democrats:

• Bill Cahir, 39, Bellefonte, Centre County, is a journalist for Newhouse News Service covering Washington, D.C., while working at five PA newspapers and a sergeant in the U.S Marine reservist, having served two tours in Iraq. He is also a former staff member of U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford, Sen. Edward Kennedy and staff assistant on the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee.

• Mark McCracken, 44, of Lawrence Township, Clearfield County, has been a Clearfield County Commissioner for the past five year and Director of Information Technology for Clearfield County Government. He is a former member of the Clearfield Area School District Board of Directors for 10 years.

• Richard Vilello, 42, of Lock Haven, Clinton County, is on his third term as mayor of Lock Haven and in his 11th year on City Council. He is a current member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Rural Affairs, served two separate terms on the Susquehanna Economic Development Association’s board of directors. He is founder of Vilello Building Inspections, a PA Department of Labor and Industry Third Party Agency.