In addition to the alcohol referendum on the Bellevue primary election ballot, there are quite a few other races across the North Boroughs that will have to be decided.

Although registered Independents normally cannot vote in primaries, they will be able to cast their votes in Bellevue for the referendum only.

Registered Democrats in Bellevue also will be deciding council contests in the first and third wards. In the first ward, Susan Schafer will be making a second run at a Democratic nomination after losing the council election two years ago. This time she faces incumbent Linda Woshner.

In the third ward of Bellevue, voters will pick two of the three Democrats seeking nomination for council seats. With incumbent Lisa Blaney-Stewart out of the picture, the seat will be open to one of two newcomers -- Kark Belany or Julie Treemarchi -- or veteran Jim Scisciani, who lost his bid for re-election to a second ward council seat four years ago. The two who win will face incumbent Republican Mark Helbling in the fall.

In Avalon, there are more open positions than there are candidates, so much of the primary action will probably be centered around last-minute write-in campaigns. Incumbent Democrats Vicki Donnelly and Ralph Cortese in the first ward, and Patrick Narcisi in the third ward, are the sole candidates listed on the ballot for council seats.

Ben Avon, Ben Avon heights, Kilbuck and Ohio Township offer no primary races for municipal government seats.

In Emsworth, five candidates are competing for the Democratic nominations for three council seats. Appointed incumbents Thomas Madey and Alexander Nalevanko are joined by former mayor George Rossi, Brian Fashian and Kevin Yurkovich for the four-year seats. There are no Republican candidates for the four -year seat or the two-year seat on council, for which Thomas Maletick Jr. is the sole Democratic candidate.

The school board races will offer voters the normal confusion of some cross-filed candidates, some on only one ballot, and some seeking write-in votes.

In the Northgate School District, there are five four-year board seats and one two-year seat. Candidates for the four-year seats include appointed incumbents Gary Paladin and Dr. Tim Makatura, incumbents Daniel O’Keefe and Dr. Shannon Smithey, and newcomers Brigitte Jackson, Ron Coder and Yvonne Sentner. Coder is the husband of Bellevue Council president Kathy Coder, while Sentner is the wife of Bellevue Police Chief Matt Sentner. Only Jackson and O’Keefe reside in Avalon. All candidates will appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballots.

For the two-year seat, Makatura, Paladin and O’Keefe have cross-filed on both tickets.

Things get even more confusing in Avonworth, where voters must nominate candidates for five four-year school board seats.

The race boasts two competing slates of candidates, backed by the “Responsible Five” and “Concerned Citizens” committees.

The Responsible Five candidates all will appear on both the Democratic and Republican ballots. They include Keith Egyed, Patricia Monahan and James Carrigan of Ohio Township, Tracey Madey of Emsworth and Michael Wrbas of Ben Avon.

For the Concerned Citizens, incumbent David Oberdick of Ohio Township is cross-filed, as is newcomer Jeffrey Carraway, also of Ohio Township. Incumbent Brenda Barlek, of Ohio Township, is a candidate on the Democratic ballot only after running into some problems with her Republican nominating petition. She will be seeking write-in votes by Republicans. The group also is promoting two write-in candidates on both tickets: incumbent Peter McKay of Ben Avon and former board member Robert Wible of Ohio Township.