The three townships in the Lehighton area of Carbon County all have municipal election races scheduled to be decided on Nov. 2. In two of the townships, Franklin and Mahoning, voters will have decisions to make regarding seats on the respective board of supervisors, while in East Penn Township the voters there will select a new tax collector between two candidates. Meanwhile, there is a five-person race for four four-year terms on the Lehighton Area School District Board of Education.

Otherwise, there are no contested races in the area’s three boroughs - Lehighton, Parryville and Weissport.

Franklin Township

The contest in Franklin is for a six-year term on the board of supervisors. The candidates are Democrat Fred Kemmerer Jr. and Republican Jeff Kuklentz.

There are no other challenged races in the township. Sara J. Keiser is running for a four-year term as tax collector and appears on both the Democratic and Republican ballots while Republican Jason Eidem is unopposed for the six-year term as constable.

There is a six-year term on the township’s board of auditors to be determined by the Franklin voters but no one is seeking the position.

The other unopposed candidates in the township are people who are seeking poll positions. They include: Lisa M. Sawyer, a Republican running for the four-year term as judge of elections in the Harrity District; Republican Ann Shoenberger, who is seeking the Republican inspector of elections post in Harrity, a four-year position; and Democrat Stacy J. Sheckler, who is seeking the four-year term as judge of elections in the Long Run District.

There are no candidates for four-year terms as judge of elections or inspector of elections, both parties, in the Independent District, nor the Democratic or Republican inspector of elections positions in Long Run, nor the Democratic inspector of elections position in Harrity.

Mahoning Township

Three candidates are running for two six-year terms on the Mahoning Township Board of Supervisors. They include Democrat Myron “Zeke” Blahy and Republicans Deborah K. McGowan and Ronald Reeser.

Pauline Homm is unopposed on both the Democratic and Republican tickets for the four-year term as tax collector, while Republican Charles Pollock is the lone candidate on the ballot for the six-year term as constable.

There is a six-year term on the township’s board of auditors to be determined by the Mahoning voters but no one is seeking the position.

Six other candidates in the township, who are seeking poll positions in their respective precincts, are also unopposed. They are: Sandra Putkowski, Republican, running for the four-year term as judge of elections in the Mahoning District; Jo Ann Hawk, Republican, seeking the four-year term as Republican inspector of elections in the Mahoning District; Joyce Walters, Republican, seeking the four-year term as judge of elections in the New Mahoning District; Gilbert Walters, Republican, running for the four-year term as Republican inspector of elections; Marie Klotz, Democrat, seeing the four-year term as judge of elections in the Packerton/Jamestown District; and Kathleen L. Haldeman, Democrat, seeking the four-year term as Democratic inspector of elections in the Packerton/Jamestown District.

No one is running for the other four-year terms in the township’s voting precincts, including the positions of Democratic inspector of elections in the Mahoning District, Democratic inspector of elections in the New Mahoning District, and Republican inspector of elections in the Packerton/Jamestown District.

East Penn Township

The challenged race in East Penn this time around is for the four-year term as tax collector. The candidates are Democrat Wendy K. Kunkel and Republican Kathy Henderson.

There are two people scheduled to be elected to six-year terms on the township’s board of supervisors but there is no contest there as only two candidates are seeking the posts. They include Keith House and William G. Schwab, who both appear on both tickets.

Township voters are also scheduled to fill two auditor’s positions, for two-year and six-year terms, as well as the six-year post as constable. There are no candidates for those positions.

The other positions on East Penn’s ballots are for precinct posts. Unopposed are Candy Everett, Republican, seeking the four-year term as judge of elections in the South District; Linda Bierman, Republican, seeking the Republican inspector of elections four-year post in the South District; Kay Becker, Republican, running for the four-year term as judge of elections in the North District; and Republican James Zelrick, who is seeking the four-year term as Republican inspector of elections in the North District.

No one is running for the four-year terms as Democratic inspectors of elections in either the South or North Districts of the township.

Lehighton Board

The five candidates for four positions on the Lehighton School Board include three who are cross-filed, including Joy Beers, Barbara A. Bowes and Kerry L. Sittler. The other two candidates include Jennifer Laible on the Democratic side and Walter Zlomsowitch on the Republican side.

The latter is also a GOP candidate for a two-year term on the board that is available. There is no Democratic candidate.

Lehighton Borough

In Lehighton Borough, seven candidates who appear on the municipality’s ballot are unopposed.

They include Clark A. Ritter, who appears on both the Democratic and Republican ballots for the four-year term as mayor; Joe Flickinger, a Democrat, Ryan Saunders, a Republican, and Autumn Abelovsky, who appears on both ballots, all whom are seeking the three four-year terms on borough council; Donald Lawrence Rehrig, a Democrat running unopposed for the two-year term on council; Mary E. Strohl, who appears on both ballots for the four-year term as tax collector; and Thomas Sitarchyk, who is a Democratic and Republican candidate for the six-year term as constable.

Borough voters are also slated to elect election district officials to four-year terms in the First, Second and Third wards, however, there are no candidates for the posts. A judge of elections is scheduled to be elected in each of the districts while a Democratic and Republican inspector of elections is slated to be elected in each of the three wards.

Parryville Borough

Four candidates in the Parryville ballot are all unopposed. Each of them appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballots.

They include Thomas Kobal, who is running for the four-year term as mayor; and Jason T. Smith, Dustin P. Wentz and Monica Kunkle, who are running for three four-year terms on the borough council.

No one is running for the four-year term as tax collector nor the six-year term as constable.

Democrat Lamont G. Sherer is running for the four-year term as judge of elections in the borough while there are no candidates for either the Democratic nor Republican inspector of elections positions which are for four years.

Weissport Borough

Weissport voters will not see any challenged races on the municipal side of their ballot as six candidates whose names appear on the ballot are all unopposed.

They are Paulette L. Watson, a Democrat who is seeking the four-year term as mayor; Democrat James Osborne and Independent Thomas Ketchledge, who are running for three four-year terms on the borough council that are available; Joseph A. Foster, a Republican seeking the two-year term on council; Democrat Lynnette Moyer, who is running for the four-year term as tax collector; and Osborne, who is also seeking a six-year term as constable.

No one is running for the four-year judge of elections post in Weissport, nor the four-year terms as Democratic and Republican inspectors of elections in the borough.

Other choices

Voters in the Lehighton area of the county will fill positions and/or make choices in several other election matters, including: retention votes of “yes” or “no” for President Judge Roger N. Nanovic and Judge Joseph J. Matika for 10-year terms on the Carbon County Court of Common Pleas; challenged races for 10-year terms as Justice of the Supreme Court and judges of the Superior and Commonwealth courts (two terms) of Pennsylvania; and challenged county races for four-year terms as treasurer and clerk of courts.

There are no contests for the county register of wills/clerk of the orphans’ court race, where Jean Papay is both a Democratic and Republican candidate.