LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — UPDATE: Democrats Bill Gaughan and Matt McGloin declare victory in the Lackawanna County Commissioner race, claiming two of the three open seats.
Republican incumbent Chris Chermak claimed the third seat Tuesday night.
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After the primary election in May, two new faces represent the Democratic ballot. Bill Gaughan and Matt McGloin are teaming up.
Gaughan is a former member of the Scranton City Council.
McGloin is a Scranton native and former Penn State and NFL quarterback.
Both men believe that some young blood would be a plus for this county.
"The importance of serving and being active in your community—Bill and I talk about it the time," McGloin said. "We have young families, and this is about the future of Lackawanna County. This is about the next generation."
On the Republican side, incumbent Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak is running for re-election, the only familiar face from the current commissioners.
Chermak says he teamed up with Diana Campbell from Mayfield through these elections because of her experience in local politics.
"Over the last four years, she's been the president of the borough council. She deals with a lot of the same issues, maybe just on a smaller scale than the county, but same issues, budget, finances," said Commissioner Chermak.
Both parties agree that teamwork will serve the people of the county best, especially when it comes to the big issues, including the proposed 2024 budget.
"Right now, there's a $15 million deficit. We've got to close that. We've got to find the spending gaps and things that we're wasting money on and close that gap. We can't continue to keep spending and expect that there's not going to be any tax hikes," said Campbell.
"We really think there has to be a comprehensive analysis of every department, every board, every authority and commission in Lackawanna County. That has not been done in quite some time and really is a matter of good governance and should be done every ten years or so," said Gaughan.
Check back here for the latest results on this race after polls close at 8 p.m., or get the latest results from all the races that matter to you at wnep.com/elections or with the WNEP app.