In an upset victory during yesterday’s balloting in Nesquehoning, Lois Dianne (Eckert) Pecha unseated veteran Panther Valley School District director and president Joseph Fiorentino in Region 1 of the community.

Mrs. Pecha became the first woman to be elected to the district’s board of directors by winning both the Democratic and Republican nominations over Fiorentino, who is presently serving his third term on the board.

The housewife and mother won the Democratic balloting by a 250-177 margin and scored a more than 2-1 victory on the GOP side, 164-67.

Fiorentino is also the president of the Carbon County Vocational-Technical School operating committee.