Jim Thorpe Mayor Michael J. Sofranko was an overwhelming winner in his bid for re-election to another four-year term of office during Tuesday's General Election balloting.

Meanwhile, the voters in the borough decided on borough council positions, while in Penn Forest and Kidder townships, supervisors' races were decided, as was the tax collector's position in Penn Forest and one challenge for a seat on the Jim Thorpe Area School District Board of Education.Jim ThorpeMayor Sofranko, a Republican, faced opposition from Dennis J. McGinley, a Democrat and longtime member of the Jim Thorpe Area School District Board of Education.The mayor easily outdistanced McGinley by a margin of 823 to 365.In the borough council's race, two incumbents and two newcomers were the winners of fouor four-year terms that were available.The incumbents included Joann Klitsch, a Democrat who appeared on both ballots, and Democrat Gregory Strubinger.The top vote-getter was Democrat Thomas Highland, one of the newcomers, with 897 votes, followed by Klitsch, 823, Strubinger, 739, and Paulette Haupt, a newcomer who also appeared on both ballots and who received 532 votes.Losing out was Republican Darren Behan with 496 votes.Tax Collector Terry M. McElmoyle, a Democrat, was unopposed in pursuit of another four-year term in office. He received 1,068 token votes as the overall top vote-getter on the ballot.Penn Forest TownshipTwo new supervisors and a new tax collector were selected Tuesday in Penn Forest Township.Elected to six-year terms on the board of supervisors were Republican Philip Shedaker and Democrat Scott Lignore.Shedaker was tops with 589 votes, followed by Lignore with 540 votes. Losing out were Republican Floyd Day and Democrat Robert John Serafini, who trailed with 488 votes and 327 votes, respectively.Incumbent supervisor Paul Montemuro and Alan Katz, both Democrats, will leave office at the end of the year. Montemuro lost the Primary Election while Katz did not seek re-election.The new tax collector will be Democrat Josiah "Cy" Behrens. He won a four-year term over Republican Heidi Boese by a margin of 588 to 441. Behrens will succeed longtime tax collector Barbara Ahner, a Democrat who is retiring after having held the position for many years.Matthew Shutter, a Libertarian candidate, won a six-year term on the township's board of auditors. He was unopposed and received 517 complimentary votes. There were no Democratic or Republican candidates for the position.Kidder TownshipIncumbent Democrat Mary Farnschlader lost her seat on the Kidder Township Board of Supervisors in Tuesday's balloting.She was defeated by Republican Thomas "Bing" La Fond by a margin of 189 to 133..Democrat Kim Ginopolas, tax collector, ran unopposed for re-election to another four-year term of office. She collected 303 complimentary votes.Township voters were are also slated to elect one person to serve on the board of auditors for a six-year term. There were no candidates for the position although 15 write-in votes are likely to determine the winner of that position.JTSD boardThere was a race for the two-year term on the board of education in the Jim Thorpe School District.Incumbent John P. Ciavarella was the winner, outdistancing Libertarian candidate Matthew Schutter by a margin of 1,374 to 547. Ciavarella's name appeared on both ballots.Meanwhile, four four-year terms on the board were also up for grabs, although there was no contest. Four persons whose names appeared on both the Democratic and Republican ballots all received token votes and were elected.They include former director Glen F. Confer Sr., who was tops with 1,676 votes, and incumbents Dennis J. McGinley, 1,633, Geraly Strubinger, 1,593, and Ciavarella, 1,533.The district comprises the Borough of Jim Thorpe, Penn Forest Township and the Kidder-South district.