Janet Jackson and Patrick Best are leading the votes for two vacant judge positions in Monroe County.

Jackson led with 22,075 unofficial votes, while Best has 17,844 votes.

Jackson, of Stroudsburg, has been an attorney for more than 35 years. Jackson began her career as a law clerk for the Middle District of Pennsylvania’s United States Magistrate Raymond J. Durkin. She also worked as a special prosecutor for the Lackawanna County District Attorney and later was the first full-time assistant public defender in Monroe County. In 1988, she joined the law firm of Dominick A. Lockwood in Stroudsburg and continues to practice in civil litigation and criminal law.

Best, of Stroud Township, worked as a law clerk for Judge Carmen D. Minora in the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas. He moved to Monroe County and worked as an attorney in family law, and now is a partner at ARM Lawyers, handling consumer protection, bankruptcy and tax law. He also serves as a special assistant district attorney for the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.

The other two judge candidates, Kelly Lombardo and Alexander Marek, tallied 16,883 and 12,250 votes, respectively.

.Row offices

Newcomer Ira Jolley, a Democrat, is leading for the position of treasurer. Newcomer Ira Jolley, a Democrat, defeated incumbent treasurer Theresa Johnson by a margin of 22,142 to 17,481. Jolley has 35 years of experience in investment banking at Bear Stearns, executive sales leadership at AT&T, and a strong background in insurance and risk management.

Coroner Thomas A. Yanac Jr. is unopposed for another term. He was first elected to office in 2017.

Pleasant Valley School Board

Newcomers Janet Dooner and Denise Hopely were the top vote-getters with 4,104 and 4025 votes, respectively. They were followed by Diane Serfass, 3,920, Norman A. Burger, 3,729, and Melanie Zipp, 3,525. Four seats were ope

Zipp, Serfass and Burger are incumbents. Dooner and Hopely, a retired teacher, is seeking her first term on board.

Chestnuthill Township

Democrat Jeffrey S. Weiss is the apparent winner in the race for six-year supervisor. Weiss had 1,994 votes while Ramirez had 1,834 votes.

In the race for judge of elections, Democrat James M. Shea had 324 votes, while Republican Bridget M. Shanley had 292.

Uncontested candidates in Chestnuthill include June O’Neill and Bradley D. Mann, seeking the four-year term as tax collector and the six-year term as constable, respectively, and who appeared on both ballots; Eric E. Hoffman, Republican, aspiring to a six-year term as auditor; Nellie D. Gordon, Democrat, and Richard Deldonna, Republican, seeking four-year terms as judge of elections and inspector of elections, respectively, in the First District; Mark Baylis and Richard Reade, Republicans running for judge of elections and inspector of elections, respectively, in the Second District; Douglas Lightbody, Democrat, seeking the four-year term as inspector of elections in the Third District; Wendy Mabel Heller, Republican, running for the four-year term as judge of elections in the Fourth District; and Candyce Ourada, Democrat, and Bria R. Orley, Republican, running for four-year terms as inspectors of elections in the Fourth District.

Eldred Township

Republican Susan M. McGinty defeated Democrat Michael A. Kolba Jr. by a 503-276 margin.

Republican Jessica Keller won the two-year supervisor term with 499 votes. Democrat Alyssa Meadows had 265 votes.

Unopposed candidates on the township’s ballot include Republican Laura Hoffman, running for a four-year term as tax collector; Republican Karen Anthony, seeking a four-year term as judge of elections.

Republican Sharon Solt defeated Democrat Pearl Eckhart for the four-year term as inspectors of elections. Solt had 461 votes and Eckhart had 295 votes.

Polk Township

Incumbent Carl Heckman was unopposed for the six-year term of township supervisor in Polk Township.

Angela Schwartz appeared on both the Democratic and Republican ballots for the four-year term as tax collector, respectively.

The only contest was the four-year term as judge of elections.

Republican Michael Davidowsky had 1,070 votes while Democrat Peter DeSanto Jr. had 804 votes,

Other unchallenged candidates include Antoinette Gravell and Robert Butler, Republicans, who are seeking the six-year terms as auditor and constable, respectively; and Teresa Bond, Republican, running for the four-year term as inspector of elections.

Ross Township

Republican Shelli Bird had 791 votes for the Ross Township auditor position, while Democrat Linda M. Zak garnered 644 unofficial votes.

In the race for the judge of elections position in the Second District of the township, Christine Foote McCool, who appeared on both the Democratic and Republican ballots, had 512 votes, while Libertarian Vincent J. Delhery had 150.

Unopposed candidates include Greg Gill, who appeared on both ballots for the six-year term on the board of supervisors; Nina Campbell, Republican, seeking the four-year term as tax collector; Robert Wagner, Republican, aspiring to the six-year term as constable; and Kathleen Bickel Hurley and Barbara Magliaccio, Republican, seeking four-year terms as inspectors of elections.