Michelle Langdon elected as Jeannette's first woman mayor
It was a historic night in the city of Jeannette as voters elected their first woman mayor. Michelle Langdon, a Democrat, beat incumbent Curtis Antoniak, who is currently finishing his second term in office.
Langdon has served on Jeannette's City Council for the last four years as well as being involved in the Jeannette Business Association. She's also owned her own accounting service for decades.
"I'm getting ready to retire at the end of the year, and so, it's been a great career, but it's time to move on to other challenges," Langdon said.
She sat down with KDKA-TV on Wednesday to talk about her future plans as mayor, including how it feels to be elected as the city's first woman mayor.
"I am so proud to represent the women of Jeannette. It's thrilling and part of history making," Langdon said.
Langdon said 2,250 voters turned out for this general election. She received 1,172 votes.
"Everyone deserves a voice and I'm really proud of the community, that they came out in the numbers that they did, whether they voted for me or not. They used their voices, and that's what we're all about. That's what a democracy is," Langdon said.
Langdon hopes to fuel change
Langdon said she has a vision for change, starting with providing more opportunities for the city's business community and by embracing seniors and children.
"I want to take that extra step to make those businesses feel welcome, and through that, I think we will get the reputation for being, you know, really, really friendly to business, which will help our economy grow, and then, of course, will help the population grow, which supports our school district," Langdon said.
Langdon said she plans to work closely with local school districts.
"It all comes down to our children. That's why we do everything, is to support our children," Langdon said.
Jeannette police down 3 officers
As mayor, Langdon will oversee the city's police department. The department is currently struggling to fill three vacant officer positions.
"Our police department is struggling from the same issues as everyone else is. You know, low applicants and, you know, wages that aren't supportive," Langdon said.
The department currently has nine officers and a police chief. Full staff is 12 officers.
"When officers are working double shifts continuously, I mean, it takes a toll on their family lives. It takes a toll on their bodies, and actually, I worry about safety as well for them and the community as well," Langdon said. "My first step is to increase the morale, you know, provide the guys with support and honesty and fairness within the department, and then move on to the other issues. It's not going to turn over overnight."
When it comes to making decisions, Langdon said she wants to see community involvement and hopes to create a citizen committee that is designated to work on certain city issues.
"Have them research, debate, you know, whatever it takes to come to a solution that they can present to council. Five people can't make all the best decisions. You need more than five to participate to really get the best solution to an issue," Langdon said.
Antoniak says he's saddened by his loss
Antoniak told KDKA-TV that he was disheartened and saddened that he didn't win to serve another term as mayor.
"No mayor in Jeannette has served three terms and the last Republican to win was in 1974," Antoniak said.
Antoniak served two terms as a Democrat until switching to Republican during his second, current term in office. He said he switched based on his Christian values.
"I won't give up my Christian values," Antoniak said. "If I had to switch to Democrat to win mayor, I would say no and stay Republican and lose."
Antoniak said he's worked for the city for 66 years.
"I haven't known a life without working for the city. I've been working for the city since I was 26," Antoniak said.
Antoniak is currently battling kidney cancer and is undergoing immunotherapy. He told KDKA-TV that he wasn't able to go door-to-door to talk to constituents like his opponent because of his health.
"I worked as hard as I could. My opponent has given empty promises," Antoniak said. "She told people she'd get police hired and they believed her."
He ended by saying he's proud of all he's accomplished over the years and thanks the community for their kind comments.
Langdon will be sworn into office in January 2026. She said she hopes to begin hearing from residents on day one.
"I'm just so excited. I can't wait to get started. It's going to be great," Langdon said. "The first thing I'm going to do is check my voicemail and my email messages and make sure that I get on top of that, because hearing from the people that live in this community is what's going to dictate the rest of my tenure."