Three newcomers seeking Democratic and Republican nominations for four four-year terms on the Palmerton Area School District Board of Education were the top vote recipients in Tuesday's primary election.

Their success contributed to the defeat of two incumbent board members - Darlene E. Yeakel and Clarence "Chuck" Myers - while the third sitting member, Barry W. Scherer, survived a seven-person race.Myers currently serves as board president.Contract talks and the teachers' strike in January have been a point of contention with Palmerton residents. Teachers have been working without a contract since last June and are headed for nonbinding arbitration next month.The big winners were Kathy Lendvay Fallow, Katherine J. Baumgardt and Earl Paules, each of whom won the nominations of both parties, as did Scherer, meaning they are virtually assured victories in the November general election.On the Democratic ticket, Lendvay Fallow was tops with 439 votes; followed by Baumgardt with 427; Paules, 411; and Scherer, 291.Yeakel finished fifth in the seven-person race with 211 Democratic votes, followed by David Schwartz with 201 and Myers with 112.On the GOP ballot, Paules was the No. 1 finisher with 443 votes. Baumgardt, Lendvay Fallow and Scherer won nominations with 344, 329 and 320 votes, respectively.Losing out were Yeakel, 263; Schwartz, 222; and Myers, 148.While Schwartz remained on the ballot, he announced during the campaign that he was no longer seeking a nomination due to his likely relocation to Connecticut for work purposes.A fourth incumbent, Sue Debski, did not seek re-election.Voters in Bowmanstown and Palmerton boroughs and Towamensing and Lower Towamensing townships participated in the school district balloting.