2019 general election: Contested races for council seats in Lansford and Summit Hill to be decided

Both Lansford and Summit Hill will have competitive races for borough council seats in the 2019 general election that will be held on Nov. 5. In the other Panther Valley area municipality in the county, Nesquehoning, there are no contested races.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in each of the 51 election precincts in the county.

Lansford

The council race in Lansford features two Democrats and four Republicans who are running for four four-year terms.

The Democrats are Lou Labosky and Mary Soberick while the GOP slate includes Bruce Markovich, John M. Turcmanovich, William Chuma and Martin S. Ditsky.

Lansford voters will also fill a two-year term as mayor. Michele Bartek won both Democratic and Republican nominations in the primary, meaning her name will appear on both ballots.

Summit Hill

Summit Hill voters will have to decide between five candidates who are running for four four-year terms on the council.

They include Karen L. Ruzicka and David A. Wargo, whose names will appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballots, Democrats Michael Kokinda II and Gregory V. Kosciolek and Republican Joe “Kossie” Kosalko.

There is also a two-year term on the board to be filled by the voters. In that race, Kokinda is the Democratic candidate while Wargo won the GOP nomination in May via the write-in vote method.

Nesquehoning

There is no race in Nesquehoning this time around as four people are running for four four-year terms on the borough council.

They include Louis Paul, who won both Democratic and Republican nominations in May and will appear on both ballots, Democrat Frank Jacobs and Republicans Michael J. Radocha and George Sabol.