Come January, Lansford’s Borough Council will have a much different look than it does today.

But that council will have to confront the same issues that face the current board, including declining tax revenue, a police department without a chief, and a long-awaited sewer project.Five of the seven seats on council are up for grabs in Tuesday’s election. There are seven candidates vying for four 4-year seats, and two more competing for a single 2-year term.Two council members, Rose Mary Cannon and Joseph Butrie, are running for re-election.Four of the candidates were brought into the race by a local businessman. The “Help Us Improve Lansford” slate, made up of Democrats Matthew Walsh, Bernice Moser and Roy E. Stenger, as well as Republican Catherine O’Brien was assembled by David Benevy, who owns the Panther Valley Mini Mall and says that he has been frustrated by the current board.“I said ‘Hey, there have to be better people out here who can do something for this town. I found candidates, I put together a campaign, and we’re running on a shared platform,” he said.Two Republicans are also running together — Bruce Markovich and John M. Turcmanovich.The final candidate is Jared Soto, a mental health professional who works with the Lansford Alive nonprofit.Butrie was appointed to the board in 2014. He also served as head of public works for about a year. He said that while on council he coordinated a joint project with Coaldale to pave roads around the Rite Aid in the borough, saving the borough significant money. He also had the borough replace some equipment that was 40 years old.“I know we butt heads, but when all is said and done, we try to do what is best for the townButrierie saidButrierie said that he would try to keep taxes low by sharing more projects between Lansford, Coaldale and Summit Hill. He would also focus on replacing the borough’s current garage, which is rapidly deteriorating.Cannon has served on council for 20 years. Of the board’s recent work, she said that she is most proud of the recent project to make the borough building handicap accessible.“The first thing is trying to work together to have Lansford move forward. If you don’t have a group that is going to work together, then you won’t get anything done,” she said.She rebuffed claims made by the “Help Us Improve Lansford” group that the council is inaccessible, pointing out that residents are provided agendas and time to give public comment at each meeting.“The first thing is trying to work together to have Lansford move forward. If you don’t have a group that is going to work together, then you won’t get anything done,” she said.Markovich is a retired police chief who has lived in Lansford for 54 years. He would like to see the borough be more fiscally responsible. “We have serious budget problems, a major sewer project coming up. We have to come up with a budget that is workable for everybody,” he said.He would also welcome the opportunity to work with groups like Lansford Alive, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the downtown.“We have to rejuvenate the borough to get things moving again, get people interested in coming to Lansford,” he said.Moser has local government experience, previously serving on the zoning hearing board in Coaldale. She has also served as an officer in the American Legion, and worked in management for several companies.She said with her experience in the town she can help solve some of the issues faced by the borough.“The police are doing a wonderful job, but sometimes they have an overabundance of things to do,” she said. “We should probably have someone to direct them.O’Brien, a republican and part of the “Help Us Improve Lansford” ticket, works in home health care. An 18-year Lansford resident, she says that the borough is in worse shape than when she moved in. If elected, she said she would focus on having the borough be more responsible with its tax revenue. She would also try to clear up confusion about parking during snow emergencies.Jared Soto is co-organizer of the Lansford Community Garden and has served the Lansford Alive nonprofit for about two years. He has worked in social services in Carbon County for eight years, most recently at an adult mental health program in Lehighton.He said he has grant writing experience, and could help the borough by seeking out state grants to help fund projects in the town.“I’d like to write grants for community projects. Anything with general community improvement,” Soto said. “We can link with schools or other social services to do projects that benefit the town.”He would also like to see the borough do a better job of looking at quality of life issues, and how to enforce the town’s existing ordinances.Stenger has lived in Lansford for 18 years, and also owns rental properties in the town. He saiBenevyvy convinced him to run initially, but he is fully committed to the position. If elected, his priority would be to attempt to draw some of the economic activity seen in areas like Jim Thorpe west into the borough. He said the current board’s confrontational style doesn’t help the borough.“I believe the town needs some guidance. I believe some people on the committee are excellent, but there are too many people voting things down because they don’t like the person sitting across from them. That’s baloney,” Stenger said.JohTurcmanovichch is a retired chief of the Lansford Police Department, with four decades as an officer. TurcmTurcmanovich that over that time, he has learned the day to day operations of the municipality.“I’ve been dealing with borough business, borough politics for the last 41 years,” he said.If elected, he would try to improve the borough’s tax collection rate, which is low — abo— 80 percent — and —y to bolster the police force. TurcmanTurcmanovichas a lawsuit pending against the borough regarding the pension benefits he received as an officer. However he said that he would recuse himself from any vote involving his police pension.Matthew Walsh is the owner of two businesses, including Walsh Precious Metals, located in the Panther Valley Mini-mall. He said that experience will help him to cut costs and increase revenue.“I know how to manage multiple businesses, they’re both profitable and successful, I’ve learned how to keep overhead low while creating massive amounts of profit,” he said.Critics have repeatedly pointed out that Walsh pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drug charge, for possessing marijuana, filed against him in Monroe County in 2007. Walsh had no comment when asked about the charges.