The Republican primary for prothonotary and clerk of courts is providing the only drama this spring in Northumberland County politics.
That's because the hard-fought battle between Jamie Saleski, of Coal Township, and Justin Dunkelberger, of Point Township, is the only contest on the countywide ballot.
The winner of the Republican primary will face Meg Bartos, of Mount Carmel, in the November general election. Bartos is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. The current prothonotary, Kathleen Wolfe Strausser, is not seeking re-election.
Three more county row offices are on the ballot - coroner, register and recorder and controller. Incumbents in all three are seeking re-election, and they all are unopposed in their respective primaries.
James F. Kelley, of Coal Township, seeking his fourth term as coroner, is the Democratic candidate. In November, he will face Republican Leo J. Mirolli Jr., also of Coal Township.
Mary Zimmerman, a Republican, is seeking her fourth term as register of wills, recorder of deeds and clerk of the orphans court. She has served in that position since 2000, when her predecessor, the late Frederick F. Reed, retired. No Democrats filed for the position, so unless Democratic voters write-in a candidate (100 votes are needed), Zimmerman will have an unobstructed path torward winning a fifth term in November.
Incumbent Republican Controller Tony Phillips, who has held the office since long-time Controller Chuck Erdman, resigned in 2011, is unchallenged for his party's nomination. In November, he will be opposed by Christopher L. Grayson, of Mount Carmel Borough, who is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Grayson is the current borough tax collector.
