Incumbent Marianne Scott ousted in Boyertown School Board primary

Incumbent Boyertown Area School Board member Marianne Scott was ousted by voters in Tuesday’s primary, according to the unofficial election results.

The Boyertown Area School District straddles Berks and Montgomery counties and has three geographic regions from which candidates are elected, there was a crowded race with at least one contest in each region.

Region 1

Scott, who ran only on the Republican line in Region 1, which is entirely in Berks County, collected only 456 votes toward keeping one of the two seats up for grabs in that region.

Longtime incumbent Ruth Dierolf, who ran on both lines, sharply increased her reelection chances in November by winning both a Republican line, with 624 votes, and a Democratic line, with 445 votes.

The two challengers in the race, Matthew Weir and Michelle Wiley, each won one ballot line on the November ballot.

Weir won the other Republican line with 634 votes, and Wiley won the other Democratic line with 641 votes, according to unofficial results.

Region 2

In Region 2, which straddles Berks County and Montgomery County, incumbent Anthony Panarello was challenged for the single open seat by Jason Szczurowski. Both appeared on both ballot lines.

According to unofficial results, each candidate won one line for the November ballot.

Szczurowski won a total of 577 votes for the Democratic line, when the results from Berks and Montgomery counties were added together, according to unofficial results. Panarello won only 209 votes for the Democratic line.

However, Panarello won a total of 564 votes for the Republican ballot line when both Montgomery and Berks totals were added together. Szczurowski won a total of 323 Republican votes.

Region 3

There will be a repeat of the primary election contest for the single open seat in Region 3, which is entirely in Montgomery County, according to unofficial results.

Incumbent Jeffrey Zawada, who ran only on the Republican line, captured that line with 685 votes.

His opponent, Lynne Conner, captured only 236 Republican votes, but won the Democratic ballot line with 863 votes.

State law allows school board candidates to “cross-file” and seek both the Republican and Democratic ballot lines in the November election. In primaries where candidates capture only one ballot line, the contest is often repeated in November.