Lancaster, Pennsylvania mayoral election, 2009
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An election for mayor of the City of Lancaster in Pennsylvania was held on November 3, 2009. Incumbent Mayor Rick Gray, a Democrat, defeated challenger Charles W. "Charlie" Smithgall, a Republican by 313 votes, out of 7,261 cast. [2]
Gray announced his intention to seek a second term as mayor on December 17, 2008. Former two-term mayor Charles W. "Charlie" Smithgall, who had initially declined to run, won the Republican primary by write-in vote by supporters. Smithgall, who was in office from 1998 until 2006, was not a declared candidate in the primary. Smithgall announced on June 26, 2009, that he would accept the nomination.
Smithgall was first elected to office in 1997, easily defeating his Democratic opponent, attorney Jon Lyons, with 52 to 36 percent of the vote. Smithgall won re-election for a second term in the 2001 mayoral election against Democrat Ed Ruoff.
Smithgall sought to seek a third term in the 2005 mayoral election. His Democratic challenger during that election was Rick Gray, a lawyer. The 2005 campaign between Smithgall and Gray was the most expensive mayoral election in Lancaster's history. Smithgall and Gray raised a combined $229,000 for their campaigns: Smithgall raised $146,792 and Gray $82,072. In a surprise outcome, Smithgall, an early favorite for re-election, was defeated by Gray by 16 percentage points.
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