Write-in votes created contested races in the General Election for seats on the Summit Hill Borough Council and Panther Valley School District Board of Education.

Meanwhile, it appears the Lansford mayor’s position for the next two years has been determined, as the same person won both the Republican and Democratic nominations for the seat.

Here is what resulted from the recent certification of write-in votes in the Panther Valley area by the Carbon County Board of Elections:

Summit Hill

There will be contested races in November for four four-year seats and one two-year seat on the Summit Hill Borough Council.

For the four-year terms, Karen Ruzicka, Gregory Kosciolek, Michael Kokinda II and David Wargo won the six-person race on the Democratic side.

Ruzicka and Wargo won GOP nominations and will appear on both ballots in the General Election. Joe Kossie Kosalko and Sara Ruch will also be GOP candidates, having won nominations via write-in votes. Kosalko received 24 votes, Ruch, 18, Wargo, 14, and Ruzicka, 10.

Panther Valley school board

Daniel Matika received 71 Republican write-in votes to win a nomination that was up for grabs for five four-year terms on the Panther Valley School District Board of Education.

Three candidates appeared on that ballot, including Gary Porembo, William J. Mansberry Jr. and Marco R.D. D’Ancona, meaning two other nominations were at stake.

Entering the General Election, Porembo, Mansberry, D’Ancona, Renee DeMelfi and Joseph J. Faenza Jr. will be the five Democratic nominations.

Porembo, Mansberry, D’Ancona and Matika will be GOP candidates.

Voters in the district will also elect two people to two-year terms. Both Steven Foster and D’Ancona won Democratic and Republican nominations and will be the only candidates whose names will appear on the ballots for those seats.

Lansford

Michele Bartek won the Democratic nomination for the two-year term as mayor of Lansford and appears on her way to the position.

She was the lone candidate for the Republican nomination and then defeated two other people who received Democratic write-in votes.

Bartek received 26 votes, one ahead of Joseph Butrie’s 25 and five more than the 21 received by Hugh Vrablic, meaning she will appear on both tickets in November.

Nesquehoning

Louis Paul won both Democratic and Republican nominations via the write-in vote process, receiving 31 from the Democrats and 12 on the GOP side.

The voters will fill four four-year terms on the council in November.

Paul will join Frank Jacobs on the Democratic side, as Jacobs was the lone candidate whose name appeared on the ballot.

On the Republican side, there were two candidates on the ballot, Michael Radocha and George Sabol, who will now be joined on that side by Paul.