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Voters reject two WBA independent candidates who oppose consolidation

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Voters retain Luzerne County Judge Lupas for second 10-year term

A familiar face is back in charge in Pittston.Meanwhile, Exeter&#8217;s incumbent mayor was ousted from office after a recent police controversy.Democrat Mike Lombardo reclaimed the Pittston mayor&#8217;s office Tuesday, beating out independent candidate Charles Bufalino. Lombardo previously served two terms as mayor from 1998 through 2005.&#8220;I&#8217;m really psyched,&#8221; he said of his victory.Lombardo won with 918 votes &#8212; or roughly 75 percent of the total &#8212; to Bufalino&#8217;s 298.All numbers are unofficial until certified.Lombardo shared the victory with his cousin, Michael A. Lombardo, and Kenneth Bangs, who were both elected to city council.&#8220;We know what lies ahead,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And we&#8217;re all excited about that.&#8221;Upon leaving office, Lombardo was appointed to the Redevelopment Authority Board by subsequent Mayor Joseph Keating, and has been reappointed to that board twice by current Mayor Jason Klush.He also serves on the Housing Authority Board of the City of Pittston.Lombardo said while he won re-election, there is still a percentage of the electorate that didn&#8217;t vote for him, and he wants to open a dialogue with everyone.&#8220;We need to hear what they have to say,&#8221; he said.Lombardo and his wife, the former Susan Donovan, live on Broad Street. They are the proud parents of twin daughters, Catherine and Kristen, both seniors at the University of Notre Dame.For the past six years, he has been employed by Quad 3 Architectural Engineering and Environmental Sciences as the Director of Business Development.ExeterAmid the backdrop of residents&#8217; concerns about police staffing, Exeter Mayor Herman Castellani was narrowly edged out by independent candidate Denise Adams.Adams received 622 votes &#8212; or about 52 percent of the total &#8212; to Castellani&#8217;s 562.Adams served on borough council for eight years, spearheading a paint group while chairing the Parks and Recreation Board that refurbished the playground on Thomas Street.She has been a cosmetologist for 40 years in Kingston, working for Beauty FX, formerly Walter&#8217;s.She is also a former member of the Exeter Lions Club and served for 20 years as Director of Religious Education for St. Anthony&#8217;s Parish on Memorial Street.Casetellani came under fire a few times recently for decisions regarding the police force.Last month, residents grilled him during a council meeting over the lack of full-time officers working in Exeter.Currently, the borough operates with a police commissioner and no full-time officers, causing residents to wonder if they are getting proper coverage.&#8220;Our shifts are covered all the time,&#8221; Castellani told citizens. &#8220;Unless something happens that we can&#8217;t pick it up right away. Don&#8217;t believe the propaganda you read in the newspapers.&#8221;Residents also worried about proper training for the new officers and if they are familiar with the borough since they&#8217;re not from the area.Another issue involved Exeter officer Len Galli, who was fired over the summer then accused Castellani of ordering officers to use racial profiling in how they do their jobs.Castellani vehemently rejected those claims.More mayoral racesHere are the unofficial results of other mayoral races across the county:Ashley&#8226; Donald Sipple, Republican - 269&#8226; Joe Gorham, Democrat - 220Freeland &#8226; John W. Budda, Republican - 233&#8226; Shane Balliet, Democrat - 112&#8226; Michael Malloy, Independent - 146Harveys Lake&#8226; Carole J. Samson, Republican - 381&#8226; JoAnn Jones, Democrat - 322Larksville&#8226; Joe Zawadski, Democrat/Republican - 565&#8226; William Denman, No affiliation - 135Luzerne&#8226; James Keller, Republican - 280&#8226; John C. Cordora, Democrat - 235Wyoming Borough&#8226; Joseph John Dominick, Republican - 621&#8226; Bob Boyer, Democrat - 243<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Mike Lombardo </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_lombardo.jpg</photo0><caption0>Mike Lombardo </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Brigid Edmundsbedmunds@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Brigid Edmunds at 570-991-6113 or on Twitter @brigidedmunds</shirttailMeta></div>

What’s old is new: Former Pittston mayor elected again