In Parkland, East Penn and Southern Lehigh, Democratic slates headed for triumph
Saucon Valley Democrats poised for victories while Moms for Liberty posts two wins
In three high-stakes Lehigh Valley races, bipartisan slates that ran under the Democratic banner were headed toward victory for all of the seats up for election on their school boards.
Unofficial results from Tuesday’s election for East Penn, Parkland and Southern Lehigh showed the slates held healthy leads over Republican newcomers whose platforms included parental rights, transparency, academic excellence and, in some cases, dissatisfaction with transgender policies and library book choices. The winners had swept the Democratic ballot in the May primary when candidates can crossfile.
Meanwhile, in Saucon Valley, a slate of four Democrats – Bill Broun, Vivian Demko, Jay Santos and Donald L. Carpenter III – appeared poised to oust four incumbents, leaving only one incumbent winner in the race, results show.
Moms for Liberty - Northampton County saw two endorsed candidates win – Republicans Elmo Frey Jr. and Melissa Gladstone in Nazareth Area – and two lose – Republican Cindy O’Brien in Bethlehem Area and William G. Jones Jr. in Northampton Area.
In the East Penn School District, incumbents Joshua Levinson, a Democrat, and Jeffrey Jankowski, a Republican; Democrats Shonta Ford and Gabrielle Klotz and Republican Tim Kelly were in the lead.
They were ahead of Republicans Paul Barbehenn, Kristofer DePaolo, Lawrence Huyssen and Angelic Schneider, all of whom were part of a slate called Your Voice on the Board, and Matt Mull, who was running on his own.
In Parkland, the top vote getters were incumbents Republicans Carol Facchiano and Lisa Roth,, incumbent Democrats Jay Rohatgi and Marisa Ziegler, and Democratic newcomer Christopher Pirotta. Rohatgi was also ahead for a two-year term.
They were outpacing a slate called Elevating Excellence in Parkland, whose members included Republicans Michael Deering, Beth Finch, Natalie Janotka, Bobby Lanyon, George Rivera, all of whom were seeking four-year seats, and Mike Millo, who was running for the two-year seat.
The Your Voice on the Board and Elevating Excellence in Parkland slates were both heavily funded by Republican business leaders, outraising the Democratic banner slates.
Meanwhile, in Southern Lehigh, another slate that included one incumbent and one Democrat was slightly ahead of a Republican slate of newcomers who, among other promises, pledged to seek to reverse accommodations for transgender students and eliminate “woke politics” from classroom lessons.
Leading were Republicans Eric Boyer, Timothy Kearney, Candi Kruse, Emily Gehman, the only incumbent who ran, and Democrat Melissa Torba.
They were ahead of the pledge-signing slate that included Paul Deebel, Lance M. Tittle, Danelle Roy, James Pica and Douglas Durham.
Following are unofficial results posted by Northampton and Lehigh counties for all precincts last night. Results could change in coming days as votes are reviewed and certified. Armchair Lehigh Valley will be taking a closer look at the school board and other races later this week.
Uncontested races were held in Easton Area, Northwestern Lehigh, Salisbury and Wilson Area.
ALLENTOWN – FIVE SEATS
Daysell Ramirez (D) – 5,761
Ana T. Tiburcio (D) – 5,836
Audrey Mathison (D) – 5,833 – incumbent
Andrene Brown Nowelln (D) – 5,385 – incumbent
Zaleeae Sierra (D) – 4,890
Tom Houck (R) – 3,814
BANGOR AREA – FIVE SEATS
Colleen Schiavone (R) – 2,305
Christopher Marozzi (R) – 2,695 – incumbent
Tanya Peifly (R) – 2,400
Courtney Gilmour (D) – 2,097
Michael Goffredo (R) – 2,133 – incumbent
Melissa Smith (R) – 2,740
BETHLEHEM AREA
At-large (three seats)
Karen Beck Pooley (D) – 14,464 – incumbent
Emily Root Schenkel (D) – 14,512 – incumbent
M. Rayah Levy (D) – 14,897
Cindy O'Brien – 9,068
Region 2
Michael Recchiuti – unopposed – incumbent
Region 3
Kim Shively (D) – 6,704 – incumbent
Cindy O'Brien (R) – 4,273
EAST PENN – FIVE SEATS
Joshua Levinson (D) – 8,734 – incumbent
Gabrielle Klotz (D) – 8,522
Shonta Ford (D) – 8,378
Jeffrey Jankowski (R) – 8,656 – incumbent
Timothy Kelly (R) – 8,277
Paul Barbehenn (R) – 6,685
Matt Mull (R) – 6,066
Angelic Schneider (R) – 6,772
Kristofer DePaolo (R) – 6,738
Lawrence Huyssen (R) – 6,297
NAZARETH AREA — REGIONAL SEATS
Region 1 (two seats)
Sariann L. Knerr (D) – 1,170
Jeff C. Greener (D) – 1,163
Elmo L. Frey Jr. (R) – 1,401
Melinda G. Gladstone (R) – 1,287
Region 2 (one seat)
Jason M. Swails (D) – 1,523
Christopher G. Miller (R) – 1,537
Region 3 (one seat)
Gregory C. Leh (R) – 1,362 – incumbent
NORTHAMPTON AREA – REGIONAL SEATS
Region 1 (two seats)
John Becker (D) – 2,091 — incumbent
Robert Mentzell (R) – 1,998
Kristin Lorah-Soldridge (R) – 2,028
Marc Kercsmar (R ) – 1,889
Region 2 (one seat)
Michael Baird (R) – 1,917 — incumbent
William G. Jones Jr. (R) – 1,476
Region 3 (two seats)
David Gogel (R) – 1,533 — incumbent
Brian McCulloch (R) –1,529
Joshua Harris (R) – 1,691
NORTHERN LEHIGH
Five seats
Gale N. Husack (R) – 1,326 – incumbent
Angela Williams (R) – 997
Mathias Matt Green (R) – 1,278 – incumbent
Glenn A Williams (R) – 942
Robert L. Kern Jr. (R) – 1,486 – incumbent
Natalie S. Snyder (R) – 1,409 – incumbent
Donna M. Kulp (R) – 1,221 – incumbent
Two seats (2-year term, vote for two)
Rhonda Frantz (R) – 1,489 – incumbent
Natalie S. Snyder (R) – 1 542 – incumbent
PARKLAND —
Five seats
Marisa Ziegler (D) – 9,031 – incumbent
Jay Rohatgi (D) – 8,838 – incumbent
Christopher Pirrotta (D) – 8,621
Lisa A Roth (R) – 9,080 – incumbent
Carol L Facchiano (D ) – 8,717 – incumbent
Beth Finch (R) – 6,922
Bobby Lanyon (R) – 6,796
Michael Deering (R) – 6,918
George Rivera (R) – 6,684
Natalie Janotka (R) – 6,768
Two-year seat
Jay Rohatgi (D) – 9,026 – incumbent
Mike Millo (R) – 7,607
PEN ARGYL
Region 1 (two-year seat)
Thomas Knorr (D) – 286 – incumbent
James A. Frey (R) – 342
Region 1 (four-year seat)
Lisa Hackman (R) – 367
Region 2 (vote for two)
Nancy O'Keefe (D) – 642
Robert C. Rutt (R) – 816
Jeff Moyer (R) – 1,032 – incumbent
Region 3 (Vote for two)
John Dally Jr. (R) – 361
Jason Keenhold (D) – 295 – incumbent
SAUCON VALLEY – FIVE SEATS
Vivian A. Demko (D) – 2,967
Jay Santos (D) – 2,731
Bill Broun (D) – 2,659
Donald L. Carpenter III (D) —2,636
Laurel Erickson-Parsons (D) – 2,741 – incumbent
Susan Baxter (R) – 2,277 – incumbent
Bryan Eichfeld (R) – 2,163 – incumbent
Michael Karabin (D ) – 2,278 – incumbent
Shawn Welch (R) – 2,179 – incumbent
SOUTHERN LEHIGH – FIVE SEATS
Melissa Torba (D) – 3,972
Emily Gehman (R) – 3,983 – incumbent
Candi Kruse (R) – 3,878
Timothy Kearney (R) – 3,978
Eric Boyer (R) – 3,871
Danelle Roy (R) – 3,438
Lance M Tittle (R) – 3,366
Paul Deebel (R) – 3,453
Douglas Durham (R) – 3,388
James Pica (R) – 3,385
WHITEHALL-COPLAY — FIVE SEATS
Nichole L Hartman (D) – 3,408 – incumbent
Patty D Gaugler (R) – 3,775 – incumbent
George Makhoul (D) – 3,229 – incumbent
Seth Kubat (R) – 3,063
Fady Salloum (R) – 2,922
William Groller (R) – 2,652
LoriAnn Fehnel (R) – 2,125