Luzerne County manager job posting expected within a week

Luzerne County government’s top manager opening should be publicly advertised within a week, search committee Chairman Charles Sciandra said Wednesday.

The only remaining decision was the compensation that should appear in the advertisement, and the three-citizen committee obtained feedback from council on that subject during Tuesday’s work session.

After discussing opinions, council left it up to the committee to advertise as it sees fit.

Council Chairwoman Kendra Radle said Wednesday she does not want to force the independent committee to delay advertising awaiting a council vote on the matter.

Council is not scheduled to meet again until Feb. 28 and had asked the committee to try to publicly advertise the position and interview applicants with a goal of forwarding recommended applicants to council by the end of March.

The committee plans to advertise a range from $116,322 to $175,000, Sciandra said Wednesday.

This minimum is ironclad because the county’s home rule charter says the manager must make at least 55% of the district attorney’s compensation but not more than the DA. This year, the DA compensation is $211,495, or $1,000 less than the state-approved salary for county Court of Common Pleas judges.

The committee must seek, screen and interview manager applicants and recommend the candidates it believes are the most qualified to council for its consideration. As a result, the advertisement states the final salary will be determined by county council and based on the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Council allocated $145,000 for the manager salary in the 2023 budget.

For the search that resulted in the hiring of prior manager Randy Robertson, a council majority had voted to state a compensation of up to $185,000. Robertson ended up receiving $181,500 annually.

Robertson’s predecessor, C. David Pedri, was hired at $120,000 and left making $137,333. Robert Lawton, the first manager hired under home rule, received $110,000 annually.

During Tuesday’s work session, council initially discussed the idea of individually emailing compensation feedback to the committee.

Councilman Gregory S. Wolovich Jr. asked for public discussion, saying the committee needs input from the body as a whole now so it can start advertising the position.

Search Committee member Danielle Ader said she understands council ultimately decides the final compensation, but the committee needs to know if the budgeted $145,000 is a ceiling.

“If that is your line-in-the-sand of compensation, then we need to know that. If you’re willing to go above that, then we need to know that,” said Ader, who is a senior executive recruiter for a private consulting business.

A clear range must be advertised because it is a public position, and prospective applicants can perform simple online searches to learn the compensation that had been paid to past managers, she said.

Ader said the committee wants to “manage expectations” of applicants before it recommends candidates to council.

“You may get a candidate that you love, but in the end they may not accept your offer if they don’t like the compensation piece, and we don’t want to get to that point,” Ader said.

Wolovich said he believes the maximum was set too high in the last search, prompting some applicants to expect they would receive that amount.

Councilman Kevin Lescavage suggested advertising up to $180,000 with no minimum, saying the position carries major responsibilities. He indicated he does not want to “scare people off” by stating the minimum.

Councilman Brian Thornton said he believes $180,000 is too high, adding, “We made that mistake last time.”

“I didn’t say $180,000. I said up to $180,000,” Lescavage replied.

Councilman Carl Bienias III said he’d rather keep the maximum lower to reduce expectations, and he agreed with Thornton’s suggestion of a $160,000 maximum.

Council Vice Chairman John Lombardo said the advertised figures are “basically numbers in the air.” Those recommended will have to demonstrate to council they are “worth the numbers they’re asking,” he said.

Sciandra also asked council to consider performance measures that would allow the chosen applicant an opportunity to earn more than the final salary.

Radle said such incentives would have to be negotiated later by council and does not want to promise any in an advertisement.

Sciandra said Wednesday he will alert council when the advertisement is posted on the county website and through International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP).

The committee plans to meet on March 1 to review the status of the applicant response at that point and firm up a screening process, he said.