SUNBURY - The official count for the May 17 primary election that concluded Monday produced only one change in a local school board race.
Northumberland County Board of Elections Director Alisha Herb said the official count, which wasn't completed until approximately 7:15 p.m., resulted in Mount Carmel Area School Board candidate Raymond D. Kraynak being edged out for the Republican nomination by Michael Brinkash and incumbent Judy McCollum, who each finished with 254 votes. Kraynak garnered 252 votes.
The top five Republican nominees who advanced to the Nov. 8 general election were incumbent Michael Rovito (300 votes), Thomas Ditchey (288), Robert Muldowney Jr. (282), McCollum (254) and Brinkash (254).
The top five Democratic nominees are Muldowney (1,122 votes), Kraynak (1,047), Ditchey (1,035), Brinkash (1,001) and Rovito (937).
The nominees on both tickets will vie for five open seats on the school board.
In the race for three four-year terms on the Coal Township Board of Commissioners, incumbent Gene Welsh was the top vote-getter with 788. Fellow incumbent George Zalar captured second place with 720. Bernie Rumberger edged incumbent Paul Petrovich by seven votes, 512 to 505, to earn the third nomination.
Republican candidates nominated for the four-year terms were Paul M. Leshinskie (383 votes) and Walter N. Quade (294).
For the two-year term, Gerard W. Waugh III earned the Democratic nomination with 612 votes over Renee Gembic Snyder (321 votes) and David Reigel (91 votes). Gembic Snyder captured 12 write-in votes to win the Republican nomination for the two-year seat. Waugh tallied 11 write-in votes in his attempt to win both the Democratic and Republican nominations.
Write-in candidates must collect at least 10 votes to qualify as nominees.
The following is the official vote count in the race for county commissioner:
Republican - Merle Phillips, 2,657; Rich Shoch, 2,554; Samuel Schiccatano, 1,707; Terry Curran, 1,310; Thomas Aber, 1,278; Larry Wary, 1,109, and Charles Horvath, 925.
Democrat - Vinny Clausi, 3,372; Frank Sawicki, 3,016; Myron Turlis, 2,852, and Doddie Rippon-Lovett, 1,497.
Phillips, Shoch, Clausi and Sawicki will square off in the general election for three open commissioner seats.