A change in the Republican leadership for Area 14 which includes Coatesville could mean a major shift in how the local GOP goes about selecting and endorsing candidates for city council seats.

Last week Eric Brown was officially elected party chairman for Area 14, defeating Richard Legree who has held sway over the 20 Republican committee people elected from Coatesville, South Coatesville, Modena and Valley Township. Coatesville with 12 committee seats dominates Area 14. The Chester County Republican Party divides the county into 28 districts, each of which elects its own chairman.

"There are a lot of qualified Republicans who now are wanting to get involved," said Brown.

Legree could not be reached for comment.

Brown, a former Coatesville school board member, said his first priority is invigorating the local GOP and working to get John McCain elected president and State Rep. Tim Hennessey (Dist. 26) reelected. Then, he said, his attention will focus on getting qualified Republican candidates elected to city council next year.

Currently, there are seven committee seats vacant in Area 14, five in Coatesville, alone. Two committee seats are established for each precinct. The county Republican Party requires that a man and a woman be elected from each precinct. In April's GOP primary no candidates were listed on the ballot for the two committee seats in the Second Ward nor for the four seats in the Fourth Ward, two each from precinct. Although, William Espehshade did run a successful write-in campaign to the male committee seat in the Fourth Ward, Second Precinct. Also, no candidates were on the ballot for the two committee seats in Modena.

The move to unseat Legree as GOP chairman for Area 14 eventually led to county GOP Chairman Joseph "Skip" Bryon getting involved because of procedural issues, including two people voting although they were not elected committee people, according to those involved. Brown confirmed that two votes were disqualified. Reportedly, Clayton Ayers and his wife cast ballots in one round of voting despite their not being elected Republican committee people.

Next year four Coatesville council members, the so-called Bloc of Four, are up for reelection; two are Republicans, Kareem Johnson and Kurt Schenk. With the change in leadership in Area 14 the two might find it more difficult to win their party's endorsement. If so, it will not be the first time, Coatesville's Republican Party turned its back on an incumbent council member. Three years ago the party refused to endorse then Council Member David DeSimone in his bid for reelection, opting instead to endorse Kurt Schenk who went on the win the Fourth Ward council seat, defeating William Chertok, a Democrat, in the general election.

Patsy Ray and Robin Scott, both Democrats, are up for reelection next year, too.

Brown is an attorney with the law firm Siana, Bellwoar, and McAndrew. He resides in Millview in the First Ward.