Butler Township narrows commissioner race to 3
Two incumbents competing for two available Butler Township commissioner seats will proceed to the November election on the Republican ballot, where they’ll compete against one Democratic candidate, according to unofficial election results reported in Butler County Bureau of Elections summary reports.
Incumbents Edward Natali and Sam Zurzolo, both Republicans, will compete against Jeff Pakutz, the sole Democratic candidate, who was unopposed in the Tuesday, May 20, primary election.
On the Republican ticket, Natali led with 1,172 votes, followed by Zurzolo with 901 votes.
Two Republican challengers, Darrell Pacoe and George Shockey, did not receive enough votes to proceed to the general election. Pacoe received 631 votes, and Shockey received 515 votes.
Zurzolo said he was incredibly thankful and honored to win the primary and is excited for November’s general election.
“I feel that I’m there working for the people,” Zurzolo said. “I’m glad I can offer four more good years of service to the residents of Butler Township.”
Zurzolo is a Marine Corps veteran with 30 years of service and worked as a maintenance manager at Moraine Pointe Plaza for 18 years. He has spent 16 years on the Butler Township planning commission. If reelected in November, it will be his fourth term.
“People see a lot of good things happening in the township, and they want to continue that,” Natili said.
Natali, a lifelong resident of the township, works as lead project engineer for Cleveland-Cliffs Butler Works and serves on Armco Credit Union’s board of directors. If reelected in November, it will be his second term.
The Democratic candidate, Pakutz has 36 years in management working in the insurance industry. He said he managed an office of 55 employees, gaining experience in budgeting, hiring, negotiating and more.
He received 1,060 votes on the Democratic ticket.
Voters will get to choose two of the three remaining candidates to represent Butler Township on Nov. 4. Pakutz has the opportunity to take either Natali’s or Zurzolo’s seat at the start of 2026.
