Magisterial district judges determined

Casimir T. “Caszy” Kosciolek, one of four Carbon County magisterial district office judges, three of which faced general election balloting, was a landslide winner on Tuesday, being re-elected to his fourth six-year term of office.

A Democrat, Kosciolek appeared on both his party’s ballot and that of the Republican Party, but faced opposition from Libertarian candidate Debby Rabold. It was no contest, as Koscioek won easily by a vote of 2,380 to 429.

The district, Magisterial District 56-5-03, includes the boroughs of Lansford, Nesquehoning and Summit Hill, as well as the Mahoning and New Mahoning voting districts of Mahoning Township.

Kosciolek first won the position in 1999.

Meanwhile, two other MDJs were unopposed on Tuesday, including Bill Kissner, who sought and won his second six-year term of office, and Eric M. Schrantz, who ran for the first time but was an incumbent by virtue of his appointment to the position by Gov. Tom Wolf upon the resignation of Schrantz’s stepfather, Retired Magisterial District Judge Edward M. Lewis.

Kissner represents Magisterial District 56-3-02, which consists of Bowmanstown, Parryville and Palmerton boroughs and Towamensing, Franklin and Lower Towamensing townships.

The sitting jurist collected 2,887 votes Tuesday.

Schrantz tallied 3,033 token votes in Jim Thorpe, Lehighton and Weissport boroughs, Penn Forest Township and the Packerton/Jamestown voting district of Mahoning Township, winning his own six-year term in Magisterial District 56-3-01.

Editor’s Note: The vote totals reported in this story do not necessarily include the results of absentee votes. The county elections bureau reported the vote totals are unofficial and subject to the tabulations of the absentee ballots that were not able to be counted in some races last night due to technical difficulties with scanners used to count the absentee ballots.