The arrest of incumbent Baldwin-Whitehall school Director Beverly Coon for attempted homicide has redesigned the political landscape in the upcoming school district race.

Incumbent school Director Michael Stelmasczyk, who has been running a door-to-door campaign with Ms. Coon for months, now is trying to distance himself from her. He has used purple tape to cover her name on political yard signs and has called for her resignation.

Edward Moeller, the third candidate on their ticket, had backed off from active campaigning when he only won the Republican primary in the spring. He decided that he didn't want to run against Mr. Stelmasczyk and Ms. Coon, both incumbents, who won seats in the Democratic primary.

"With three of us running, it didn't make sense for us to be battling within ourselves," said Mr. Moeller, 45, of Baldwin Borough, an accounts receivable administrator at the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

School Board President John Schmotzer, 50, of Whitehall, and newcomer Nancy Sciulli DiNardo, 37, of Baldwin Borough, won both the Democratic and Republican primaries, giving them an advantage in the election.

Now Mr. Moeller is back on the campaign trail trying to win one of the four contested seats.

No one is certain whether Ms. Coon, 46, of Whitehall, plans to try to stay on the board.

She was held for trial last week on charges including attempted homicide and arson for trying to kill her estranged boyfriend, Bethel Park Superintendent Ronald Grimm, at his Monroeville apartment on Sept. 9.

Her name still will appear as a choice for school board on the ballots in Baldwin Borough, Baldwin Township and Whitehall, the three districts that make up the school district.

She can't be forced off the school board unless she is convicted of a crime. Both Mr. Stelmasczyk and Mr. Schmotzer have publicly called for her resignation.

"I think it would be in the best interest of the school district if she resigned," said Mr. Schmotzer.

Ms. Coon could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Stelmasczyk, 55, of Baldwin Borough, is a semi-retired telecommunications consultant, seeking his second term as a watchdog candidate, who wants to hold down the cost of the high school renovation project, which is projected at more than $60 million.

Mr. Moeller said he has a strong financial background and is an open-minded individual who looks for the middle ground between spending money to improve the schools and being a fiscal watchdog.

He served six months on the school board in 2003, when he finished the term of Ron Boyle who resigned to move out of the district.

George L. Pry, 53, of Whitehall, president of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and past president of five other educational institutions, won a slot on the Republican ballot.

He believes his extensive experience as an educational administrator gives him the kind of experience needed to evaluate both educational questions and issues surrounding the renovation of the high school.

"Over the years, I have done a huge amount of real estate, construction and new buildings" for educational institutions, said Mr. Pry.

Mr. Schmotzer, of Whitehall, president of Metropolitan Window Co., Inc., is seeking his second term on the board, running on a platform of providing both exceptional education and fiscal responsibility.

A graduate of Duquesne University, Mr. Schmotzer is leading the board as it makes decisions about the renovation of its high school, a school that he believes is being built not for tomorrow, but "for 10 to 15 years down the road."

Mrs. DiNardo is a homemaker, college student and mother of three who is active in parent-teacher groups and sports booster organizations. In her first try for political office in the spring, she was top vote-getter in both primaries.

"I have been an advocate for children for years. That is where my heart is," said Mrs. DiNardo.

Mr. Schmotzer and Mrs. DiNardo, who are sharing political signs with Mr. Pry, made his name large and kept their own names small in their yard signs, since both are assured victories.

The campaign has not been a cheap one.

In the spring primary, the political action committee formed by Mr. Schmotzer, Mr. Pry, Mrs DiNardo and Greg Zeman, raised more than $12,600, including $2,300 in cash donations from labor unions. They spent about $8,300 in the primary, according to their committee report. Mr. Zeman was defeated.

Both Mr. Schmotzer and Mr. Pry donated $4,000 each to that campaign. The candidates aren't sure what they will spend in the general election.

Mr. Stelmasczyk said the committee formed to represent him, Ms. Coon and Mr. Moeller, spent about $4,500 in the primary.

Mr. Stelmaczyk, who contends that running for school board in Baldwin Whitehall has become too expensive, expects to personally spend an additional $2,500 in the general election.