Nickel tops vote count for MCSB
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From Staff Reports
LEWISTOWN -- Voters have chosen five candidates to serve on Mifflin County School District's Board of Directors.
According to unofficial election results, current board president Fredrick Nickel received the highest number of votes during the general election Tuesday, receiving 4,822 votes.
Results indicate that other candidates who will serve Mifflin County residents include Paula Dickson, who received 4,704 votes, Zeb Harshbarger, with 4,645 votes, Noah Wise who received 4,130 votes and E. Terry Styers, who received 4,043 votes.
Elected candidates will serve four-year terms.
Unofficial election results indicate that candidates Danica Laub, Dianne Shearer and Mary Lou Sigler will not serve voters during the next term.
Fredrick Nickel, a Republican, is the vice chairman of The Academy Operating Committee and is the chairman of the building and grounds committee.
He attended Lewistown Junior High School, graduated from Chief Logan High School and from the Juniata/Mifflin AVTS in the Machine Tool Program. After graduating from high school, he started working for New Holland in Belleville. After retiring, Nickel taught precision machining at The Academy for 10 years, retiring in 2018.
Nickel has been a firefighter with the Burnham Fire Co. since 1973 and serves as vice president, house committee member, and director.
Paula R. Dickson, a Republican, will serve her first term on the Board of Directors.
Zeb Harshbarger, a Republican, campaigned on the promise that he will oppose any property tax increases, support a quality rural education for students, including blocking Critical Race Theory curriculum. He promised to provide classrooms with proper funding and resources.
A 2018 graduate of Mifflin County High School, Harshbarger believes his youth puts him in a unique position to adequately understand the needs of Mifflin County students. He is currently employed at First Quality in Lewistown.
Noah Wise, who cross-filed, resides in Burnham with his family. A 1981 graduate of Chief Logan High School, he spent his early adult life working for the Philadelphia Electric Company and later owned and operated a seal coating business. He has spent the past 19 years employed as the Burnham Borough maintenance supervisor.
Serving as an active leader in the community, Wise is a member of the Burnham Borough Sewer Authority, Mifflin County School District Board of Directors and Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology's Operating Committee.
Wise was a founder of the Central Keystone Youth Football and Cheerleading organization. He has spent much of his life advocating for the youth of Mifflin County. Soon after helping to form the organization, Wise brought back the Burnham Bulldogs Special Needs Team.
Terry Styers, will serve his third term on the board of directors.