The Republican Party will maintain its majority on the three-member board of Lycoming County commissioners for the next four years, according to unofficial election results posted Tuesday night by the county Department of Voter Services.

County Commissioner Tony Mussare, a Republican and the only incumbent in the commissioners’ race in Tuesday’s municipal election, was elected to a second

term, while fellow Republican Jack McKernan, president of Williamsport Moving Co., was elected to his first.

The two will work alongside Democrat Rick Mirabito, the former state representative, who received the third-most votes in the race.

Former county Commissioner Rebecca Burke failed in her bid as an independent candidate to secure a spot on the board. She also lost in 2011 in a re-election bid during her third term as a commissioner.

Jim Dunn, the other Democrat in the race and an Armstrong Township supervisor, received fewer votes than any of the other candidates.

Mussare received 27.99 percent of the vote, or 12,262 votes out of the 43,815 votes cast in the commissioners’ race, with all of the county’s 86 voting precincts reporting.

“I want to thank all the voters out there for having confidence in me, as well as all the poll workers and everyone who’s responsible for the election taking place flawlessly,” Mussare told the Sun-Gazette. “I’d like to congratulate Jack McKernan on a well-run campaign. I’m looking forward to working with him and Rick Mirabito. I believe the voters have elected three very good commissioners and we will work well together.”

McKernan secured the most votes with 12,410, or 28.32 percent.

“The volunteers that I had working for me, all the people today at the polls – I owe this to their effort,” McKernan said. “We did everything that we could possibly think of to do and tried to do it the right way. It’s exciting. I’m excited for the folks that have helped me.”

As for the state of the county, McKernan said he is confident that by working with Mussare and Mirabito – “the three Ms,” as he put it – “we’ll fix this thing, we’ll get it worked out.”

Mirabito, who received 7,883 votes, or 17.99 percent, thanked the voters who supported him.

“We have a lot of challenges ahead of us, serious challenges like the drug and crime problem,” he said. “I think this election is a validation that the public believes in transparency and accountability when it comes to public tax revenue. The three commissioners need to go back over the last 10 years and look at what’s happened with all the public tax money, so we can report to the public and tell them exactly how much has been borrowed and where it was spent. Doing this kind of detailed analysis will help us control spending and understand where the money is going. I look forward to working with everybody.”

Dunn received 4,774 votes, or 10.90 percent. He said he will continue to serve the residents of the county in his capacity as a township supervisor and as a member of the county planning commission.

“I’m encouraged by the number of people who came out to support my common-sense approach to government,” he said. “I will continue to advocate for innovative solutions. Not the Democratic solution. Not the Republican solution. But the best solution for the people of Lycoming County.”

Burke, who received 6,439 votes, or 14.70 percent, could not be reached for comment.