A mayor’s race in Lansford, two contested races in Nesquehoning, for the two-year term on borough council and the four-year term as tax collector, a runoff for the two-year term on Summit Hill council and balloting for contested seats on the Panther Valley School District Board of Education are the challenged election races among the three Panther Valley area municipalities in Carbon County. Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 2.

Otherwise, the mayor’s races in Summit Hill and Nesquehoning are already decided, as are the tax collector posts in Summit Hill and Lansford and the four-year borough council races in all three municipalities.

Lansford Borough

The race for the four-year term as Lansford’s mayor is between Democrat Hugh Vrablic and Republican Michele R. Bartek.

There are also three four-year terms on the borough council to be filled by the electorate, for which there are only three candidates. They include Jennifer Staines and Jay Michael Doyle, who won both Democratic and Republican nominations in the primary election and will appear on both ballots this time around, and Republican Gwyneth Brimmer Collevechio.

Terrance P. McCall is seeking the four-year term as tax collector and is unopposed, having won both party nominations in May.

No one is running in the borough for the six-year term as constable.

Lansford voters are also scheduled to elect a judge of elections in each of the three precincts in the borough - East, Middle and West - as well as a Democratic and Republican inspector of elections in each of the districts. All of the positions are for four-year terms. There is only one candidate for those posts, that being Jesse Durning, a Democrat who is to be the judge of elections in the West District.

Nesquehoning Borough

The two races in Nesquehoning in which borough residents will have choices to make are for the two-year council seat and the four-year term as tax collector.

The council candidates are Democrat Bruce A. Nalesnik and Republican Chuck Engler.

The tax collector candidates are Democrat Patricia R. Vito and Republican Karen Sweeney.

The town voters will also seat three people to four-year terms on the council, for which there are three candidates. They include Democrats Mary Fox and Rosemary Porembo and Independent David A. Hawk.

No one is running for the six-year term as constable.

Nesquehoning voters are also scheduled to elect a judge of elections in each of the two precincts in the borough - East and West as well as a Democratic and Republican inspector of elections in each of the districts. All of the positions are for four-year terms. There are no candidates for any of the positions.

Summit Hill Borough

The only contested race in Summit Hill Borough this time around is for the two-year term on the borough council. The candidates are Democrat William J. O’Gurek Jr. and Michael L. Alabovitz, who won the GOP nomination in the primary election.

The four-year terms as mayor and tax collector are already decided, as is the race for three four-year terms on the borough council. Jeffrey J. Szczecina won both the Democratic and Republican nominations for the four-year term as mayor, as did Nathan R. Halenar for the four-year term as tax collector, and the three council candidates, O’Gurek, Alabovitz and Joseph F. Weber.

Brian J. Dolena is the lone candidate for the six-year term as constable. He won the Democratic nomination in May via the write-in method.

Summit Hill voters are also scheduled to elect a judge of elections in each of the four precincts in the borough - First, Second, Third and White Bear - as well as a Democratic and Republican inspector of elections in each of the districts. All of the positions are for four-year terms.

For the judge of elections posts, there are two unchallenged candidates, both Democrats. They are Sheryl A. Radocha, who is seeking the post in the First Ward, and Joseph J. O’Gurek, who is running in the Second Ward. No one is running for the judges’ positions in either the Third Ward or White Bear.

There are three inspector of elections candidates who are also unopposed. They include Democrat Barbara Shelton and Republican Harmony Smith in the First Ward and Democrat Aurelia DeMatto in the Second Ward. No one is running for Republican inspector of elections in the Second Ward, nor are there any Democratic or Republican candidates for inspector of elections posts in both the Third Ward and White Bear.

Panther Valley

There are five people running for four four-year terms on the Panther Valley School Board. They include Shawn J. Hoben, Renee DeMelfi, Steven Foster and Keith A. Krapf, who will appear as both Democratic and Republican candidates, and Irene Breslin Genther, a “no party” candidate.

The district includes Lansford, Nesquehoning and Summit Hill in Carbon County and Coaldale in Schuylkill County.

Other choices

Voters in the Panther Valley area of the county will fill positions and/or make choices in several other election matters, including: retention votes of “yes” or “no” for President Judge Roger N. Nanovic and Judge Joseph J. Matika for 10-year terms on the Carbon County Court of Common Pleas; challenged races for 10-year terms as Justice of the Supreme Court and judges of the Superior and Commonwealth courts (two terms) of Pennsylvania; and challenged county races for four-year terms as treasurer and clerk of courts.

There is no contest for the county register of wills/clerk of the orphans’ court race, where Jean Papay is both a Democratic and Republican candidate.