22 persons are successful write-in vote winners in Carbon County

Twenty-two persons were elected to positions within their municipalities in Carbon County during the General Election of Nov. 3, having secured sufficient write-in votes in balloting for their respective offices.

Typically, persons seek write-in votes for positions that are left vacant on the ballot. Otherwise, someone aspiring to win an office where there are candidates nominated by either the Democratic or Republican parties need to obtain more write-in votes than those candidates. That, however, did not happen, although there were a significant amount of write-in votes in one Mahoning Township race.

The successful write-in vote recipients included:

East Penn Township - Kimberly Nothstein received 35 votes to secure a position as auditor.

Kidder Township - Cheryl Jones won a six-year term as auditor by getting one vote. Curtis Ashner was elected constable to a six-year term when he received 57 votes.

Lehigh Township - Gail A. Haddad and Keith Decker both received two votes, Haddad for a four-year term as auditor and Decker for the six-year term as constable.

Towamensing Township - Ricky Waibel won with one vote for the six-year term as auditor and Bruce A. Leiby was elected constable for a six-year term with 26 votes.

Beaver Meadows Borough - Brian Katchur and Robert Rossi were elected to terms on the borough council, Katchur with 56 votes and Rossi with 54. Bernie Moro received two votes to be elected to a two-year term as auditor, and John Tranguch's six votes won him the judge of elections position.

East Side Borough - Gerald Jones Jr. was elected mayor for a four-year term with 11 votes. Brianna Dotter received one vote to be elected to a two-year term on the borough council.

Jim Thorpe Borough - Denise O'Donnell received two votes and was elected judge of elections in District 17.

Lansford Borough - Tommy Vadyak was elected to two offices. He received 18 votes for the two-year term on council and two votes for the two-year term as assessor. Lee Labosky received one vote and was elected inspector of elections in District 23 and Jesse Gindhart received two votes and was elected inspector of elections in District 25.

Lehighton Borough - Lew Ginder received 32 votes and was elected constable for a six-year term. Wendy Wentz received nine votes to be elected judge of elections in District 28.

Parryville Borough - Jennifer Borger and Jennifer Emery were elected to seats on the borough council. Borger received four votes and Emery, three.

Weatherly Borough - Linda Jemo was elected to two positions. She received 22 votes to be elected judge of elections in District 61 and one vote to be named inspector of elections in the same district.

Meanwhile, in the Mahoning Township race, Richard Swarcheck, a Democrat, successfully defended a challenge by write-in candidate Pauline Homm. Swarcheck was appointed by the Mahoning Township Board of Supervisors to fill the unexpired term of his late wife, Joanne, who died earlier this year, and he also filled her Democratic Party ballot position. He received 524 votes. Homm was not on the ballot but received 245 write-in votes. The term is for four years.