ADAMS TWP — A crowded field for seats on the Mars School Board will stay so after Tuesday's primary election, with nine of the 10 candidates filed moving on.

Tuesday's election also came with other drama as five candidates who cross-filed as Democrats said they were the subject of “dirty politics” leading up to and on election day.

Unofficial results Tuesday night showed incumbent John Kennedy as the lead vote-getter on the Republican ballot with 1,725. He was followed by Sallie Wick, 1,578; Kevin Hagen, 1,551; Anthony DePretis, 1,544; and Megan Lenz, 1,481. As the top five, they move on to the general election

Lenz received 1,053 votes on a Democratic ballot that featured five candidates, who all move on to the general election. They include Jill Roda, John Neurohr, Bill Sommers and Jill Ceasar.

Only Tricia Holland, who finished sixth on the Republican ballot, will not move on. She earned 1,471 votes.

While Lenz and Roda said late Tuesday they were happy to receive the support of the community and to move forward to the general election, both added they and others who filed as Democrats were disappointed in negative campaigning in recent weeks.

Lenz said mailers sent to voters and signs near polling places Tuesday accused the five — who ran together as the “Mars Community Change” group — of taking money from outside sources and receiving other support from left-wing groups. That is not the case, she said, adding she was discouraged by the political games.

Roda agreed, adding she was disappointed to lose the conservative vote due to a “smear campaign.” She said the five candidates are a mixture of Democrats and Republicans who are running because they “simply want to change things.”

“I am very proud of the campaign we ran — it was clean and honest,” she said. “We're just a group of parents. We don't have nefarious intent.”

Moving forward, Lenz said she hopes the race will focus on the issues at hand and ensure the needs of students are put first.

Kennedy agreed, saying he was excited to continue the race for his seat. He said he will continue to run a race that focuses on “the betterment of the kids and the community.”

Wick said she tried to run a positive campaign, and that she would continue to do so moving forward.

“I certainly don't like the tension or negativity,” she said. “It's unfortunate for everybody involved.”