Four candidates have emerged to fill Palmerton’s vacant mayor post.

Borough council didn’t take any action on the matter at last week’s meeting despite receiving letters of intent from the individuals by the Aug. 21 deadline.

After the meeting, borough Manager Donna McGarry said no action was taken because council was without its full slate of members as Councilmen Kris Hoffner and Michael Ballard were absent.

“Council felt it best to wait until the next meeting,” McGarry said.

Borough council’s next scheduled meeting is at 7 p.m. Sept. 24.

The candidates who applied are William Gallagher, Charles Gildner, Donald Herrmann and Melinda Schneck.

Gallagher is currently a member of borough council. In his four years on council, Gallagher has chaired three different committees: Streets and Sidewalks, Water, Sewer and Trash, and Public Safety. He also served over four years on the borough planning commission, and has also participated in the Meals on Wheels of Palmerton program for the past 10 years, for which he is currently president of the organization. Previously, Gallagher worked over 35 years as a manager from plant up to corporate level with Georgia Pacific Corporation and Lafarge NA.

Gildner is a former Palmerton Area School Board director, having served eight years. Gildner is an active member of the community, and has volunteered with the local sports. He is married with two daughters, one of whom attends Parkside Elementary. A veteran who served in the U.S. Army, Gildner previously applied for the mayor position back in 2009.

Herrmann is currently the accountant for Pencor Services, Blue Ridge Cable and Blue Ridge Digital Phone Company, a position he has held for nearly 25 years. A former Logistics Management Specialist for the Department of Defense, Herrmann has been involved in the community. Having two children, he has been a coach with the Towamensing Soccer Club, Palmerton Youth Basketball Association, Bowmanstown Baseball, Palmerton Towamensing Baseball Association, and a volunteer with the Palmerton PTO and Bowmanstown Rod and Gun Club. He is also currently on the board of directors for the Palmerton Memorial Park Association.

Schneck is a moderator of the Palmerton Here & Now Facebook group. Schneck previously founded a company, Lehigh Valley Doulas Inc. where she worked with local expecting parents and acted as a conduit between them and their OB-GYNs until she sold it in 2016. She is a single mother of two children, and works closely with the teachers and staff at S.S. Palmer and Parkside, and also worked with the Palmerton Booster Club and the Palmerton Towamensing Athletic Association.

The position opened up after former Mayor Chris Olivia resigned last month in the wake of a family member’s death.

Olivia became mayor in 2012. In 2016, he received the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Mayor of the Year award.

Before his stint as mayor, Olivia spend over a decade on borough council.

Since Olivia’s resignation, council President Terry Costenbader has agreed to temporarily take up the mantle.