7 Votes Split New Hope Mayor Race: Unofficial Results

NEW HOPE, PA — Polls have closed across Pennsylvania and in New Hope, and voters have cast their ballots to determine who will be the borough's mayor for the next four years.

Current mayor Laurence D. Keller, a Republican, ran for office again this cycle. Democrat Frank DeLuca, a career police officer and former constable, is challenging him.

>>>Get local news updates right to your inbox. Subscribe to Patch: https://patch.com/subscribe

With unofficial results in from New Hope Borough's sole precinct, incumbent Keller held 610 votes to DeLuca's 603 one week after the election. That's just seven votes separating the two candidates.

Bucks counted 40.8 percent voter turnout in this election, or 193,694 ballots cast out of 475,049 registered voters.

Keller has been mayor since 1998. In 2017, he received more than 62 percent of the vote against his rival Geri Delevich, a Democrat.

DeLuca is seeking to unseat Keller, with a platform around transparency as well as public safety amid the realities of COVID-19. He spent six years as an Army intelligence analyst, and 34 years as a police officer and interim police chief.

"Our current Republican Incumbent mayor, doesn't attend Borough Workshops, doesn't perform wedding in summer months, doesn't do monthly mayor's reports, and will not release weekly police reports," DeLuca wrote in his Patch candidate profile, adding, "I would be more proactive taking initiative is to improve our safety and quality of life for all residents. A mayor can do much more than cut ribbons."

Subscribe to free Patch News Alerts for election results.