To say the results of the 2011 Northumberland County commissioners election were surprising would most certainly be an understatement.
Rick Shoch, a Republican and a political newcomer, found himself atop the heap when he gained the highest vote total of the five men seeking office. He was followed by incumbent Democrat Vinny Clausi and Stephen Bridy, who became the first Independent candidate in county history to win election as commissioner.
When the trio take over as a board Tuesday, it will be another first for the county, because neither of the major political parties will have majority control of the board.
Incumbent Democrat Frank J. Sawicki, a two-term commissioner, found himself on the outside looking in and out of office.
Despite sharing a political party, he and Clausi again did not campaign together - which was also not surprising because they had not campaigned together in the past.
In fact, all five candidates ran separate campaigns in 2011, eschewing logic that there is strength in numbers.
Perhaps most surprising was that Merle H. Phillips, a man who spent 30 years in the state House and is considered one of the most respected politicians in county history, was the low vote-getter.
Phillips had been appointed last year to the board to replace Kurt Masser, who himself was elected to the state House in 2010.
Some have questioned if Phillips' age (he is 83) would neuter his effectiveness on the board. Others seemed miffed by the fact that he reversed course from his initial statement that he wouldn't seek election to the board after his appointment by judges late in 2010.
Despite a storied career in Harrisburg and a string of 15 election victories, Phillips hasn't had much luck in Sunbury.
In addition to his loss in the 2011 election, Phillips lost his bid for a commissioner seat in 1979 and a bid for county treasurer in the mid-1970s.
But the bad news turned worse. Just weeks after the election, Phillips announced that he is battling cancer, a diagnosis he received in September.
Also in the weeks since the election returns were counted and the results verified, Bridy and Clausi have clashed over various issues, notably the 2012 budget and on operating an open government. Thus far, Shoch has remained out of the fray.
It will be interesting to see how these three distinctly different personalities will coexist and just how often they will work together, or against each other, in the new year.