Newpol chosen in Cranberry Township supervisor race
The only open seat on Cranberry Township board of supervisors was won by incumbent Karen Newpol in the election Tuesday, Nov. 7, according to unofficial results from the Butler County Bureau of Elections.
Newpol, a Republican who was appointed to the role, was running for election against newcomer Taleb Talaat, Libertarian, for the four-year term.
Of 7,584 total votes, Newpol took 5,955 votes, or 78.52%, of the total vote. Talaat received 1,587 votes, or 20.95% of the total votes cast.
“I would like to thank everyone who voted for me. I’m very humbled by them voting for me, and I am very honored to serve my community,” Newpol said Tuesday night. “I’m excited about working with my fellow supervisors on making a better Cranberry.”
Newpol said she has been volunteering in the township since 1997. She retired from a career in graphic design and has held the position of township supervisor since October 2022, when she was selected for that role to replace former supervisor Dick Hadley, who died that year.
Newpol is a graduate of the Community Leadership Institute of Cranberry, an elected Cranberry Township Republican committeewoman and a member of the Cranberry Township Community Chest board.
As director for the 5K CTCC Community Chase, she said she has helped raise more than $8 million for community projects.
She also is president of the Sunrise Rotary Club and a recipient of the Paul Harris, Rotarian of the Year and Person of Action awards. She is a chaplain board member of the Cranberry Elks Lodge, receiving the 2021 officer of the year award, and vice president of the Cranberry Township Historical Society.
In an interview leading up to Election Day, Newpol said the top three issues affecting the township are increasing the traffic capacity of its roads, community planning to meet residents’ needs and public safety.
“I feel like the campaign went really well; most voters are informed and when they got to the polls, they understood who they were gonna vote for,” she said Tuesday. “I’m still trying to let this all sink in.”
