A Clarks Green council candidate is off the ballot, a Carbondale Area school director will stay on and a Scott Twp. supervisor candidate has withdrawn from his race as officials wait for one more court ruling to finalize the May 21 primary election ballot.
A panel of Lackawanna County judges dismissed Republican borough council candidate Stephen A. Shumaker, from the Clarks Green ballot, leaving only three candidates - two Democrats and a Republican - for three open seats in the borough of 1,500 residents.
The judges ruled in favor of Republican voter Bruce Adelman, who had challenged Mr. Shumaker's nominating petition. Mr. Shumaker had exactly the required 10 signatures necessary to get on the ballot, but Mr. Adelman said one of the signers was not registered to vote in Clarks Green or anywhere in Lackawanna County.
County Director of Elections Marion Medalis confirmed the signer was not registered to vote, leaving Mr. Shumaker with nine signatures.
As a result, President Judge Thomas J. Munley and Judges Terrence R. Nealon and Vito P. Geroulo, said Mr. Shumaker was short of the required 10 and ordered his name removed. His removal means incumbent councilmen David J. Rinaldi and Alan F. Hughes are the only Democrats remaining in the race and Joe Barrasse is the only Republican for three nominations in each party.
In Carbondale Area, the judges said, incumbent Region 3 School Director Tracey Andrews may remain on the Democratic ballot, rejecting a challenge by fellow incumbent Region 3 School Director Thomas J. Cerra, a board rival.
Mr. Cerra contended that the same person signed three of the 14 signatures on Ms. Andrews' nominating petitions and another individual signed for five people. He also said all eight signers did not live in Ward 4 of Region 3 or did not live at the addresses listed on the petition, and Ms. Andrews failed to say which office she's running for on her petition.
The judges said Mr. Cerra offered nothing but his own opinion about the validity of the signatures or the addresses during his testimony.
"No other testimonial or documentary evidence was submitted for our consideration," Judge Munley wrote in the ruling allowing Ms. Andrews to remain on the ballot.
The failure to list the seat she was seeking was a case of Ms. Andrews' "inattention to detail or confusion ... and not due to any form of intrinsic fraud," the judges said.
They gave her until Monday to correct the petition.
Ms. Andrews is competing for re-election on the Democratic and Republican ballots against Cindy Turonis Artone for a single open Region 3 seat. Region 3 encompasses Carbondale's 3rd and 4th Wards.
In Scott Twp., three Democratic candidates remain for a single nomination for a seat on the board of supervisors now that Steven Russell has withdrawn. The three are Bob "Rocko" Mroczka, Bob Noldy and Stanley E. Stracham. Incumbent Supervisor David Makala and Thomas J. Smith are vying for the Republican nomination.
The only remaining outstanding issue is how many questions on restructuring county government will be on the ballot.
The Commonwealth Court is expected to decide on appeals from county court soon. At the moment, based on a county court ruling, the ballot will have five questions. One will ask voters if they want a commission to study the form of government. Separate questions will ask if the county should do away with electing four row officers - sheriff, recorder of deeds, register of wills and clerk of judicial records.
Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@ timesshamrock.com
