Luzerne County’s manager search committee, shown at its first meeting in February, has selected six applicants to advance to interviews. From left, are committee members David Fusco, Danielle Ader and Charles Sciandra.
File photo
Six of the 16 applicants for Luzerne County’s top manager position will advance to interviews, county Manager Search Committee Chairman Charles Sciandra said Wednesday.
The three-citizen committee met privately Wednesday evening to discuss the resumes and decide which applicants should be interviewed by the committee.
Four of those advancing to interviews are from this region, while the remaining two are outside Pennsylvania, said Sciandra, who serves on the committee with Danielle Ader and David Fusco.
All six have “strong backgrounds,” he said.
“We’re extremely optimistic with the six people that we’re going to arrange interviews for. We’re on target and ready to go,” Sciandra said.
The six advancing will receive a series of written questions to answer by early next week and be asked to schedule an interview, Sciandra said.
“The responses to the questions will give us a fundamental understanding of their thinking, execution and decision-making. It gives us a starting point for the interview process,” Sciandra said.
Committee members will conduct interviews the weeks of April 3 and 10.
When interviews conclude, the committee will meet again to determine if members are ready to recommend three finalists to county council.
Under the county’s home rule structure, the search committee must seek, screen and interview manager applicants and recommend the candidates it believes are the most qualified to council for its consideration. Council members then perform their own interview and selection process, with seven of 11 council votes required to hire the manager.
Council had asked the committee to present finalists by the end of March, if possible, while acknowledging that goal may be unrealistic.
Sciandra said he is still pushing to recommend finalists to council by the end of April.
The current council set a standard last year of publicly releasing the names and resumes of the manager finalists council received from the search committee and publicly interviewing the finalists. Council Chairwoman Kendra Radle said Wednesday that she wants to follow that plan again to make the entire process as transparent as possible.
The search committee advertised a base range of $116,322 to $180,000, although the final compensation determination is up to council. Council allocated $145,000 for the manager salary in the 2023 budget, but that earmark can be adjusted.
County Acting Manager Brian Swetz had confirmed he applied. He stepped away from his role as budget/finance division head to serve as acting manager since prior manager Randy Robertson ended work in November.
The manager approves many contracts and oversees day-to-day operations, personnel and budgets in most departments, excluding court branches and the controller and district attorney’s offices. It is a demanding role because county government provides a myriad of public services, including 911 emergency dispatching, the prison system, property assessment for real estate taxation, emergency management and programs for the elderly, those with substance use and mental health issues and Children and Youth.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
