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LEWISTOWN -- With the general election right around the corner, municipalities are preparing to elect new officials.
While municipal elections tend to be less popular than presidential elections, there are still local seats that will see a race.
On the Mifflin County ballot for the general election, slated for Nov. 4, the race for Mifflin County School Board is the most contested. Six candidates are running for the open four-year term, and four candidates are running for the two-year term seat.
Running for the open four-year term are two Democratic candidates, Mary Lou M. Sigler and Chris Toddes, and four Republican candidates, Mark R. Baker, Jessica Baumgardner, Brent Erb and Cody L. Wian.
Democratic candidates Diane Stewart and Mary Lou M. Sigler, and Republican candidates Brent Erb and R. Brian Ketchem vie for the two-year term School Board seat.
Mary Lou M. Sigler is running as a Democratic candidate for both the two-year term and four-year term Mifflin County School Board seats.
She cross-filed in the primary election.
Sigler has more than a decade of experience as an elected school director, and says her focus is "ensuring the district would offer the best quality education possible in a safe environment."
R. Brian Ketchem is a Republican candidate running for the two-year term on the Mifflin County School Board.
Ketchem is a father of three with a Ph.D. in Workforce Education and Development. He said that he is "committed to strong schools, responsible leadership and a hopeful future" for Mifflin County School District students.
Brent Erb is currently serving on the Mifflin County School Board of Directors. He was appointed in September 2024 to fill a vacant seat, and his term will end in November.
Erb is running as a Republican candidate for both the four-year term and the two-year term on the Board of Directors.
Erb said he has been a resident of Mifflin County since 1997 and stressed the "importance of research and independent thought," stating that everyone should have an opinion and do their own research before a vote is taken on a subject.
Diane Stewart, a Democratic candidate who serves on the Board of Directors, seeks re-election to the Board for the open two-year term seat.
She crossfiled in the primary election and then changed her registration to Republican; she will appear on the ballot as a Democrat.
Stewart began working for the Mifflin County School District in 1981 and retired in 2019. Over the years, she worked in various capacities, ending as the assistant principal at Indian Valley Elementary and East Derry Elementary Schools.
According to Stewart, the board must be transparent in decision-making and decisions must be made in "the best interest of all." She said she will focus on the district's mission statement: "To educate each student to meet life's challenges."
Mark Baker is running for re-election as a Republican candidate for the four-year term seat on the Mifflin County School Board of Directors.
Baker worked at the Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology after 35 years of teaching building trades.
When he first ran for School Board in 2021, Baker said, in his mind, "a board member needs to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars without cuts in programs or services." Baker said, "When it comes to public education, everyone is a stakeholder and has a right to be heard."
The following candidates were unable to be reached for comment: Republican candidate Jessica Baumgardner, Democratic candidate Chris Toddes and Republican candidate Cody Wian.