Panther Valley races
Voters in the Panther Valley communities of Lansford, Nesquehoning and Summit Hill in Carbon County will see very few contests on the municipal side of the election ballots on Tuesday, when voting takes place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
In fact, only voters in the Borough of Lansford will have choices to make among contested candidates, except for a challenge for the Magisterial District Judge position that involves all three communities.
In Lansford, there is a mayor’s race as well as a contest for borough council seats.
Here’s what voters in this part of the county can expect:
Lansford Borough
The battle for the four-year term as mayor is between Democrat Bob Silver and Republican Ronald R. Derr Jr.
Incumbent Mayor James Romankow was defeated in his re-election bid in the May primary.
There are three four-year terms on the borough council to also be decided and Silver is a candidate for one of those positions. In fact, his name appears on both the Democratic and Republican ballots. The other candidates are Democrats Marie Ondrus and Joseph Genits and Republicans Irma J. Leibensperger and Martin S. Ditsky.
Tax collector Terrance P. McCall, who was appointed to the position in 2016 upon the retirement of longtime tax collector Daniel Wynn, is the only other person on the ballot. McCall won a May primary runoff to win the Democratic nomination, and also solidified his chances of winning by winning the write-in vote from Republicans supporters.
Nesquehoning Borough
For the first time as long as anyone can remember, Nesquehoning Borough has a shortage of candidates for seats on the borough council.
The voters in that town are scheduled to elect three people to four-year terms and one person to serve a two-year term, but there aren’t enough candidates to present a challenge. Running for the three four-year terms are Democrat Rosemary Porembo and Independent David Hawk.
Meanwhile, there are no candidates for the two-year term.
Mayor Samuel Kitchko, who is registered as having “no affiliation” with any party, is seeking re-election to his second four-year term, and is unopposed.
So too is longtime tax collector Patricia R. Vito, a Democrat, who is running unopposed for another four-year term.
Summit Hill Borough
There are no races in Summit Hill, where the voters will vote on the mayor position, three council seats and the tax collector’s job.
Mayor Paul R. McArdle, a Democrat, is running for another four-year term as burgess and is unopposed.
The council race has only three candidates for the three four-year terms. They are Democrats William J. O’Gurek Jr., William H. Chapman and Debra Ranck. The latter is also on the Republican ballot by virtue of a successful GOP write-in effort in May.
The town’s new tax collector will be Kathleen R. Crampsie, a Democrat appearing on the ballot for the first time. She will succeed longtime tax collector Alice Kane, who is retiring at the end of the year. Crampsie is unopposed.
Panther Valley School Board
Meanwhile, voters in Lansford, Nesquehoning and Summit Hill (as well as those in Coaldale in Schuylkill County) will vote for positions on the Panther Valley School District Board of Education. There are four four-year terms to be filled by the electorate, who will only see four candidates on the ballot.
All of them are cross-filed on both the Democratic and Republican tickets. They include William J. Mansberry Jr., Christopher Kerestes, Irene A. Genther and Keith Krapf.
There is also a two-year term on the board to be filled. The lone candidate is Democrat Justin J. Foster, whose name was placed on the ballot by the Democratic Party. The Republican Party opted to not nominate anyone for the position.
Magisterial judge
Voters in the three Panther Valley towns and those in East Penn Township and the Mahoning and New Mahoning districts of Mahoning Township, will participate in the balloting for the six-year term as magisterial district judge (magistrate) in District 56-3-03. Longtime district judge Casimir T. Kosciolek is running for re-election and was unopposed on both the Democratic and Republican ballots in the May primary. He has a general election challenge. Libertarian candidate Debby Rabold was successful in getting her name added to the ballot.
