Two residents became the newest Freeport Council members on Monday night, but not three, as there could have been.
Carrie Irvine and Pete Wesolosky were both unanimously appointed to their seats by the rest of council.
One of the two seats was left open because of a discrepancy on Freeport ballots in November’s General Election.
According to Armstrong County Elections Director James Webb, the ballot in November should have listed an additional race for a two-year seat that wasn’t included.
Instead, the ballot instructed voters to vote for no more than four candidates for four-year seats, though only three were listed.
Webb said the county Board of Elections certified the three election winners for the four-year seats and opted to allow Freeport Council to appoint a resident to the remaining seat.
The other vacancy was the result of former Councilwoman Lori Miller’s resignation in November for personal reasons.
Irvine served in Miller’s seat for that small remaining portion of 2025 before being reappointed Monday.
The lifelong resident said she was hoping to utilize Freeport’s location along the Allegheny River for more recreation and community-building activities.
“I’m super excited about it,” she said. “I’m happy to help out.”
Wesolosky, who recently returned to his native Freeport from Colorado, said his primary goal is to build up the borough’s business district and expand utilization of Freeport’s natural features, including its trails and parks.
Irvine and Wesolosky are distant cousins, Irvine said.
The two join council members Rick Fennell, Jay Powell, Sally Riley, Sara Conroy and Kim Barr.
At Monday afternoon’s reorganization meeting, Fennell was reappointed council president while Powell took up the vice president role.
