Competition light in Luzerne County school board elections

As is often the case, most of Luzerne County’s 11 school board races have little to no competition in this year’s general election.

Crestwood — Four seats, five candidates. Incumbents Randy Swank and Barry Boone are facing newcomers John Macri, Michael Maguire and Marla Campbell. Campbell is running as an independent while the others are cross-filed on both the Democratic and Republican tickets.

Dallas — Five seats for four year terms with six candidates, one of whom is also running unopposed for an available two-year seat. Newcomer Kelly Kavanagh-Watkins is almost assured a place at the table by running cross-filed and unopposed for the two-year spot and for one of the five four-year seats. Among the other five candidates for the four-year posts, newcomer Amanda Faneck did not cross-file and appears only on the Republican side. Incumbents Susan Allen, Christine Swailes and Sherri Newell, as well as newcomer Michael DiMare, are on both tickets.

Greater Nanticoke Area — Five seats, five candidates, all cross-filed. Barring an unexpected write-in surge, newcomer Mark O’Connor is set to join incumbents Wendy Wiaterowski, Megan Tennesen, Frank Shepanski Jr. and David Hornlein Jr. as winners.

Hanover Area — Four seats, four candidates, all cross-filed. Three incumbents — Stacy Bleich, Vic Kopko and Rick Stevens are poised to return to the board another term, joined by newcomer Richard Oravic.

Hazleton Area — Four seats, four candidates, all cross-filed. While Luzerne County’s largest district had competition in the primary, the ability to cross-file and win both party nominations winnowed the field to no competition outside of an unlikely write-in success. Incumbents Linda DeCosmo and Ed Shemansky are set to return for another four years, joined by Gerald Feissner and Anthony Ryba.

Lake-Lehman — Four seats in three regions, four candidates, all incumbents. One of only two districts in the county to elect by region. In Region 1, Kevin Carey is on both tickets and unopposed. In region 2, Alfred DeAngelis is only on the Republican ticket but unopposed. Region 3 has two open seats but only two candidates on both tickets: Drew Salko and David Paulauskas.

Northwest Area — Four seats, four candidates, all on both tickets. Luzerne County’s smallest district by enrollment, newcomer Jeffrey Pierontoni is poised to join incumbents Jennifer Yarnell, Tara Biller and Peter Lanza.

Pittston Area — Four seats, five candidates. Incumbent John Adonizio is on both tickets, while two other incumbents are on opposite tickets: Marty Quinn Democratic and Bruce Knick Republican. Newcomers Katherine Healey and Matt Marriggi are on both tickets.

Wilkes-Barre Area — Four seats, five candidates. Three incumbents are on both tickets: Joe Caffrey, Denise Thomas and Ned Evans. Former Board Member James Susek is also on both tickets in a bid to return to the board. Frequent board critic Sam Troy is making another attempt to get on the board as an independent.

Wyoming Area — Four seats, six candidates. Thanks to independent candidates Joseph Kopko and Paul Porfirio, Wyoming Area is the most competitive race in the county. As independents, they are facing a bit of an uphill battle because the remaining four candidates appear on both tickets. Only one incumbent is on the ballot, Nick DeAngelo. The other three are Michael Supey, Joseph Smiles and David Alberigi.

Wyoming Valley West — Four seats, four candidates, all cross-filed. Wyoming Valley West is the other district that elects board members by region. John Perfetto is the only candidate for the single open seat in region 2. William Hardwick is the only candidate for a single seat in region 5. Paul Keating is the lone candidate for a single open seat in region 6. And Janet Cussatt is the lone candidate for the open seat in region 8. Cussatt is already on the board, having been appointed by the board in June to complete the term of the late Gary Richards.