Nicole J. Jahelka of Palmerton has announced her candidacy for the office of Lower Towamensing tax collector. She is seeking the Republican nomination in the May 16 primary.

Jahelka graduated from Moravian College in Bethlehem, where she received a B.A. in business management and a minor in accounting. After college Nicole began working for Robert Susko, a Certified Public Accountant. She worked at this company for over 10 years, gaining an enormous amount of experience and life skills. Some of her responsibilities included preparing income tax returns, completing payroll for multiple companies, preparing and filing all required payroll tax forms in a timely manner, ensuring proper communication between the office and their clients, and daily/weekly recording and processing of accounts payable for multiple companies.Nicole (George) married Chris Jahelka and became a mother to their two sons, Ben and Matt. At the time their first son was born, Nicole's father, Bill George, offered Nicole an opportunity to work part-time at their family business, George's P&H LLC, in order to spend more time with her children. Jahelka accepted the offer and has been in this office position for six years, handling the service invoicing of their customers.Jahelka has been a lifelong resident of Lower Towamensing, having lived in Aquashicola with her parents, Bill and Jane George (Kuntzman), until she married into the Jahelka family and moved just outside of Aquashicola on Little Gap Road. Her father and her husband have volunteered in the township for many years, both being very active in the Aquashicola Volunteer Fire Company as chief and an assistant chief, respectively.Jahelka would like the opportunity to serve the residents of Lower Towamensing as their tax collector. Her education and work experience are what make her an ideal candidate for this position.