November’s general election could see contested races for the mayoral seat in both Honesdale and Milford Boroughs.

In Honesdale, borough councilor James Hamill will appear on the Democratic primary ballot both for his council seat and for the position of Borough of Honesdale Mayor. 

Hamill told the River Reporter it would be “premature” for him to say which role he would serve in, if he were to be elected to both. He said he considered running for mayor largely for reasons involving public safety, saying the borough was “falling short of our responsibility to maintain a culture that attracts law enforcement candidates and retains them” and saying the borough should dedicate more law enforcement resources to traffic-calming measures.

“If nominated by either major party, I would certainly consider a run in the fall; however, one major reason I would consider challenging the current mayor is to flesh out these issues in a civic-positive manner through debate and the exchange of ideas,” he said. 

Incumbent Mayor Derek Williams has announced that he will run again for the role; while he plans to run as an independent candidate, and so will not show up on the primary ballot, he encouraged voters to write him or other candidates in on their primary ballots.

Williams said he would not spend time on the campaign trail for the office in the upcoming election season. “I will, however, keep doing what I’ve been doing because connecting with neighbors, meeting folks to chat about town, learning about what’s important to Honesdalers and Honesdalians, working on community projects, unpacking and sharing how local government works, and planning for safer, more comfortably walkable street designs are some of the things I live for,” he said. 

In the week leading up to the primary election, Mike Falco threw his hat in the ring as a write-in candidate for the primary. Falco runs a Facebook group called Neighbors helping Neighbors Wayne and Pike County and Surrounding Areas, and said, "We need someone with integrity, a heart, and someone who will be aggressive, honest, diligent and put residents first. That someone is me."

In Milford, the resignation in December of longtime mayor Sean Strub has left the role without an incumbent for the upcoming election. 

Doug Jacobs was appointed in January to fill Strub’s place for the rest of his term, which would come to an end at the end of this year. However, he decided not to run in the year’s mayoral election, according to reporting from the Pike County Courier. 

Two people have put themselves forward for the position. Candace Mahala will appear on the Democratic primary ballot, and Peter Cooney will appear on the Republican primary ballot. 

Editor's note: This article has been updated as of 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20 with the information about Mike Falco's write-in campaign.