2019 primary election: School board races exist in five of six districts in Carbon County
There will be contested races for nominations on both the Democratic and Republican ballots for positions on four of the five full school districts in Carbon County in the 2019 primary election to be held on May 21.
In addition, there is also a contest in the Hazleton Area School District, which includes parts of Carbon County, namely Banks Township and Beaver Meadows.
The contested races among Carbon districts are in the Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Palmerton and Weatherly districts. In the Panther Valley district, there will not be any contested races this time around.
Here is a look at what voters in each of the school districts will see on the ballots:
Jim Thorpe
Nine people are running for five four-year nominations for seats on the Jim Thorpe Area School District Board of Education. All of them are cross-filed, meaning they appear as candidates on both the Democratic and Republican ballots.
The district includes Jim Thorpe Borough, Penn Forest Township and Kidder Township South.
The candidates are: Wilmer P. Redline Jr., Paul Montemuro, John P. Ciavarella Jr., Pearl Downs-Sheckler, Robert C. Schaninger, Cindy Lesisko Henning, Richard Flacco, Scott R. Pompa and T.J. Garritano.
Lehighton
There are 11 people aspiring to win five four-year term nominations for seats on the Lehighton Area School District Board of Education. Ten of the 11 candidates are cross-filed and appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballots, while the 11th candidate is running only on the Democratic ticket.
The district includes Lehighton, Weissport and Parryville boroughs and East Penn, Franklin and Mahoning Township.
The cross-filed candidates are Barbara A. Bowes, Frank Ruch, Walter “Wally” Zlomsowitch, Wayne W. Wentz, Nathan R. Foeller, Byron D. Schnell, Larry E. Stern, Thomas “Tommy” McEvilly, Richard R. Beltz and Rita L. Spinelli.
Craig G. Bowman is the candidate whose name appears on only the Democratic slate.
Ruch was tragically killed in a crash on April 15. Since he was a filed candidate, his name appears on both ballots. Should he win a nomination in either party, that party’s leadership will have the option of replacing his name on the ballot for the general election in November.
Palmerton
There are five four-year terms on the Palmerton Area School District Board of Education to be filled this year by the electorate, with five people running on both the Democratic and Republican tickets, and two other candidates running on just one of the tickets, all aspiring to win nominations in the primary.
The five cross-filed candidates whose names will appear on each ticket are Jeffrey D. Henry, Audrey L. Larvey, Sherry A. Haas, Doris D. Zellers and Brandon Mazepa.
Josann Harry is seeking only a Democratic nomination while Charles C. Gildner and Tammy Recker are running on only the GOP ticket.
The district includes Palmerton and Bowmanstown boroughs and Towamensing and Lower Towamensing townships.
Panther Valley
Panther Valley area voters, who include those residing in Coaldale, Lansford, Nesquehoning and Summit Hill, will fill seven of the nine seats on the Panther Valley School District Board of Education this year.
There are just enough candidates (seven) for the seats on the Democratic ticket while the Republican slate has just five candidates.
Nominations will be decided for two two-year terms on the board. There are two candidates seeking those nominations and they are both cross-filed on both tickets. They include Steven Foster and Marco R. D’Ancona.
The voters will also decide five nominations for four-year terms on the board. William J. Mansberry Jr., Gary Porembo, Renee DeMelfi, D’Ancona and Joseph J. Faenza are seeking to win Democratic nominations. Only Mansberry, Porembo and D’Ancona appear on the Republican side.
Weatherly
There are six Democratic candidates and seven Republican candidates aspiring to win five nominations that are available for four-year terms on the Weatherly Area School District Board of Education.
The district includes Weatherly and East Side boroughs, Lausanne, Lehigh and Packer townships and Kidder Township North.
Six of the seven people are cross-filed and will have their names appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballots. They are Nancy Mulvaney, William Knepper, Barbara Sipler, April Walters, Thomas Joseph Connors Jr. and Matthew D. von Frisch.
Gerard E. Grega is the seventh candidate and is only seeking a Republican nomination.
Hazleton
County voters from Banks Township and Beaver Meadows will participate in the balloting for seats on the Hazleton Area School District Board of Education, where there are 12 people running for five four-year terms.
All 12 of the candidates will appear on the Democratic slate while eight of them cross-filed to appear as Republican candidates as well.
The eight cross-filed candidates include Ellen McBride, Robert J. Fiume, Tony Bonomo, John F. Busher, Sherri Homanko, Clarence John, Jackie Scarcella and Wister J. Yuhas.
The other four Democratic candidates include Yesenia Rodriguez, Ivelisse Eufracio, Marilyn Calderon and Taira Ferreras.
Comments
Good afternoon. For the best interest of the children and community please REMOVE ALL INCUMBENTS, regardless of perceived 'experience'. If the district is run transparently, their experience can be acquired, expanding the intellectual base.
These volunteer positions are 'sticky' with complacency resulting in poor performance, and general drift of consumption, tax increases and increased debt. Debt is a burden on the children, interest a benefit to the banks and not the children.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.
These individuals are often "sticky" with complacency resulting in poor performance. In many cases, these incumbents show the capacity to think, love, care, reflect, advocate, dedicate, persevere, discern, elevate, sustain and continuously evolve into something greater.
We all worship the quick sand that Citizen Dave walks upon!