All three municipalities that comprise the Jim Thorpe area Jim Thorpe Borough and Penn Forest and Kidder townships will have contested races in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Likewise, voters in those areas will have choices to make among Jim Thorpe Area and Weatherly Area school districts candidates.

In Jim Thorpe, voters will be asked to make their choice known for the mayor's position, as well as who they wish to represent them on the borough council.Both Penn Forest and Kidder townships have supervisor's races that will be decided, while Penn Forest voters will also vote on a contested race among two persons aspiring to become the township's new tax collector.Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in each of the county's 51 election precincts, after which time the results will be tabulated at the county's election bureau in Jim Thorpe.Jim Thorpe BoroughTwo races mayor and council await decisions of the voters in the Borough of Jim Thorpe in the general election.Mayor Michael J. Sofranko, a Republican, is running for re-election to a four-year term, and is facing a challenge from Democrat Dennis J. McGinley Jr., longtime member of the Jim Thorpe Area School District Board of Education.In the council's race, five persons are seeking four four-year terms that are up for grabs. They are Paulette L. Haupt and Joanne Klitsch, whose names appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballots. They are joined on the Democratic slate by Thomas Highland and Gregory Strubinger, while with them on the GOP side is Darren Behan.Tax collector Terry McElmoyle, a Democrat, is running for re-election to another four-year term of office. He is unopposed.Kidder TownshipThere is a race for the six-year seat up for grabs on the Kidder Township Board of Supervisors.Incumbent Mary Farnschlader, a Democrat, is running for re-election. She faces opposition from Republican Thomas "Bing" La Fond.Democrat Kim Ginopolas, tax collector, is seeking re-election to another four-year term of office. There is no opposition in the race. In fact, she is unopposed, having collected enough write-in votes to win the Republican nomination and virtually assured a November victory.Township voters are also slated to elect one person to serve on the board of auditors for a six-year term. There are no candidates for the position.Penn Forest TownshipThe voting in Penn Forest Township this time around will focus on two contested races, those of supervisor and tax collector.Two six-year terms on the board of supervisors are to be filled and the race is contested with two Democrats and two Republicans aspiring to the terms. The Democrats are Scott J. Lignore and Robert John Serafini while the GOP slate includes Floyd Day and Philip Shedaker. Incumbent supervisor Paul Montemuro and Alan Katz, both Democrats, are set to expire. Montemuro lost the Primary Election while Katz did not seek re-election.There will also be a new tax collector in the township since Democrat Barbara Ahner, who held the position for many years, has decided to retire. Initially, there was no Democratic candidate, but Josiah "Cy" Behrens, a former township supervisor, was successful in winning that nomination via the write-in vote process.He will face Republican Heidi Boese for the four-year term.Matthew Shutter, a Libertarian candidate, was added to the ballot for the General Election. He is running for a six-year term as a township auditor. There are no Democratic or Republican candidates for the position.JTSD boardA race for the two-year term that is available on the Jim Thorpe Area School District Board of Education is the lone contest in the balloting for school board seats.That race is between John P. Ciavarella Jr. and Matthew Schutter. Ciavarella is an incumbent, having been appointed to the board to fill the unexpired term of the late Thomas Henry. He won both Democratic and Republican nominations in the May Primary Election, whereas Schutter, a Libertarian, filed the necessary paperwork after the Primary to have his name added to the ballot as a nonmajor party candidate.Meanwhile, the voters are scheduled to fill four four-year terms on the board, although there is no contest there because four candidates won both Democratic and Republican nominations in the primary.They are Ciavarella, incumbents Dennis J. McGinley Jr. and Gerald "Jerry" Strubinger and former director Glenn F. Confer Sr.The term of current director Randall Smith is set to expire. He did not seek re-election.The district comprises the Borough of Jim Thorpe, Penn Forest Township and the Kidder-South district.WASD boardVoters in Kidder Township's North District will participate in the balloting for positions on the Weatherly Area School District Board of Education, where six persons are seeking four four-year terms to be filled this year by voters.Three of them won both Democratic and Republican nominations in the Primary Election and will appear on both ballots. They include incumbents Corey Gerhart and Amy Potsko and newcomer Brandon Pugh.Three others will be aspiring to the fourth seat. They include incumbents Girard A. Fewins Sr., who won a Republican nomination in May, and Libertarian Bonita L. Barbush, and newcomer Victoria Elliot, the fourth Democratic candidates. Barbush initially did not seek re-election but filed the necessary paperwork after the Primary to enter the race as a nonmajor party candidate.The term of incumbent John Toth Jr. is set to expire. He did not seek re-election.There is also a two-year term on the board up for grabs. Potsko won both party nominations in May and is virtually assured to win that seat.In addition to Kidder-North, the district also includes the boroughs of Weatherly and East Side and the townships of Lausanne, Lehigh and Packer.