Carol Aichele

Carol Aichele is an American politician and teacher. She previously served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from January 2011 to January 2015. A Republican, Aichele previously served on the Chester County Board of Commissioners.

Carol Aichele
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
In office
January 18, 2011[a] – January 20, 2015
GovernorTom Corbett
Preceded byBasil Merenda
Succeeded byPedro Cortés
Member of the Chester County
Board of Commissioners
In office
January 5, 2004 – January 18, 2011[1]
Preceded byKaren Martynick
Succeeded byRyan Costello
Chester County Controller
In office
January 5, 1998 – January 5, 2004
Preceded byJoseph Carpenter
Succeeded byVal DiGiorgio
Personal details
Born (1950-02-09) February 9, 1950[2]
Political partyRepublican
SpouseStephen Aichele
ChildrenThree
ResidenceTredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania
Alma materCornell University
OccupationTeacher, Politician
WebsiteCarol Aichele, Secretary of the Commonwealth
a. ^ Aichele served as Acting Secretary until her nomination was approved by the State Senate on April 26, 2011.[3]

Teaching career and early political involvement

Aichele worked as a part-time teacher at the Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, and served on the board of directors of the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District. She was also a member of the Republican State Committee.[4]

Political career

County Controller

Aichele successfully ran for the office of Chester County Controller in 1997. Aichele defeated two other candidates in the primary, including future State Representative Duane Milne, and succeeded retiring Republican incumbent Joseph Carpenter.[5]

County Commissioner

After serving two terms as County Controller, Aichle sought and was elected to a seat on the Chester County Board of Commissioners in November 2003. She was re-elected four years later.[2]

She briefly ran for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 2010, but withdrew from the race several months before the election.[6]

State Senate special election

In 2006, State Senator Bob Thompson died from pulmonary fibrosis at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.[7] Thompson, a longtime political force, had been re-elected to his 19th District Senate seat in 2004 without opposition. Aichele received the nomination of the county Republican Party for the May special election, and squared-off against her fellow County Commissioner Andy Dinniman. In what was considered a stunning upset, Dinniman defeated Aichele by twelve percentage points to become the first Democrat to represent Chester County in the State Senate since 1890.[8][9]

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Incoming Governor Tom Corbett announced his intention to nominate Aichele for the position of Secretary of the Commonwealth in January 2011. Aichele resigned from the Board of Commissioners later that month, and served as Acting Secretary until her nomination was unanimously approved by the State Senate in April. She served until January 20, 2015.[1][3]

Personal life

Her husband, Stephen Aichele, is an attorney who previously served as the Governor's General Counsel,[1] and as the governor's Chief of Staff.[10] The couple has three children, Steve, Kate and Tom.[2]

References
  1. Rellahan, Michael (January 15, 2011). "Aichele appointed secretary of the commonwealth". The Phoenix. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  2. "Aichele, Carol". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  3. "Carol Aichele Confirmed as Secretary of the Commonwealth". Pennsylvania State Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  4. "County Controller Candidates Offer Many Sharp Contrasts". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 29, 1997. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  5. Petersen, Nancy (January 7, 1997). "Chesco Controller Says He Won't Run Joseph D. Carpenter Announced He Would Not Seek A Third Term. His Decision Caught Many Off Guard". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  6. Kristie, Dan (February 16, 2010). "Aichele ends bid for lieutenant governor". The Daily Local News. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  7. Downey, Sally A. (January 31, 2006). "State Sen. Robert Thompson; had long public service career". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  8. Petersen, Nancy (May 18, 2006). "Chesco Senate Election Surprise". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  9. "2006 Special Election for the 19th Senatorial District". Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information. Pennsylvania Department of State. 2004. Archived from the original on 2008-11-28.
  10. Mary Wilson, witf: Corbett’s chief of staff leaves amid reports of shake-up, May 25, 2012. URL last accessed 2012-10-29.
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