Tax collectors’ races in both the Democratic and Republican parties in East Penn Township and Republican nominations for supervisors’ positions in Franklin and Mahoning townships are the only contested races that Lehighton area voters will see in municipal balloting in the primary election set for May 18.

There are no challenged races within either party in Lehighton, Parryville or Weissport.

East Penn Township

The tax collectors’ races in East Penn are between Democrats Wendy K. Kunkel and Jacob Kratzer while Sherry A. Smalley and Kathy Henderson will square off for the GOP nomination for the four-year term that will be decided in November when the winners of each party’s nominations will go head-to-head.

There are two supervisors’ seats, both for six-year terms, that are set to be filled by the East Penn electorate. William G. Schwab and Keith L. House are Republican candidates while no one is running on the Democratic side.

Candy Everett is an unopposed candidate for a four-year term as judge of elections in the South District while Kay Becker and James Zelrick are unchallenged on the GOP side for four-year terms as judge of elections and inspector of elections, respectively, in East Penn’s North District.

There are no candidates on either ballot in the township for three other positions, including the six-year term as constable and a six-year term and a two-year term, both as auditors.

Franklin Township

The Franklin Township ballot features a two-person race for the Republican nomination for the six-year term on the board of supervisors.

Thomas R. Beltz and Jeff Kuklentz will square off for the GOP now with the winner to face Democrat Fred Kemmerer Jr. in November as he is unopposed on that side.

Sara J. Keiser, a Republican, is unopposed for a four-year term as tax collector, while three others in the township are also unopposed, including Republican Lisa M. Sawyer, seeking a four-year term as judge of elections in the Harrity District, Republican Ann Shoenberger, who is running for a four-year term as inspector of elections in Harrity, and Democrat Stacy J. Sheckler, who aspires to the four-year term as judge of elections in the Long Run District.

Otherwise, no one is running for five other positions on the Franklin ballots, including the six-year term as constable, four-year terms as judge of elections and inspector of elections, both in the Independent District, a six-year term as auditor, and a four-year term as the inspector of elections in the Long Run District.

Mahoning Township

Three people are running for two Republican nominations for seats on the Mahoning Township Board of Supervisors.

Bernard Mieczkowski, Ronald Reeser and Deborah McGowan are running against each other for the two spots. The winners will square off with Democrat Myron Zeke Blahy in November, as he is the only one running on the Democratic side.

Meanwhile, eight people on Mahoning’s ballots are all unopposed. They include Republicans Pauline F. Homm, who is seeking the four-year term as tax collector; Charles Pollock, six-year term as constable, Sandra Putkowski, four-year term as judge of elections in the Mahoning District; Jo Ann Hawk, four-year term as inspector of elections in the Mahoning District, Joyce Walters, four-year term as judge of elections in New Mahoning District, and Gilbert Walters, four-year term, inspector of elections in New Mahoning District; and Democrats Marie Klotz, four-year term as judge of elections in Packerton/Jamestown District, and Kathleen L. Haldeman, four-year term as inspector of elections in Packerton/Jamestown District.

There is also a six-year term as auditor to be filled by the Mahoning voters, but there are no candidates for the position on either ballot.

Lehighton Borough

There are no contested races in Lehighton Borough this time around, although there are five Republicans and three Democrats on the ballots.

They include Republicans Clark Ritter, running for the four-year term as mayor, Autumn Abelovsky and Ryan Saunders, who are seeking the two nominations available for four-year terms on the council, Mary E. Strohl, seeking the four-year term as tax collector, and Stacy Lee Smith, who is running for the four-year term as inspector of elections in the First Ward, and Democrats Joe Flickinger, running for one of two nominations available for four-year terms on the council, Donald Lawrence Rehrig, who is seeking a two-year term on the council, and Thomas Sitarchyk, seeing the six-year term as constable.

Otherwise, no one is running on either party for four other positions that are scheduled to be filled by Lehighton voters. All four-year terms, they are judge of elections and inspector of elections in the Second Ward, and judge of elections and inspector of elections in the Third Ward.

Parryville

There is a shortage of candidates in Parryville Borough this year as only one person appears on the ballot in that municipality.

He is Lamont G. Sherer, a Democrat seeking the four-year term as judge of elections.

No one is running for seven other positions that are scheduled to be filled by the Parryville voters. They include mayor, three council positions, tax collector and inspector of elections, all for four-year terms, and the six-year position as constable.

Weissport

There are no challenges in races in Weissport Borough as four people who appear on that ballot are all unopposed.

James Osborne, a Democrat seeking one of three nominations that are available for four-year terms on the council as well as the six-year term as constable; Joseph J. Foster, a Republican seeking a two-year term on the council; and Lynnette Moyer, Democrat, four-year term as tax collector.

No one is running for the four-year terms of judge of elections and inspector of elections that are slated to be filled by the electorate.