Luzerne County releases non-union pay raise report

Luzerne County Acting Manager Brian Swetz said Tuesday he decided to provide across-the-board 2% raises to non-union employees under his supervision in 2023.

This differs from the practice in recent years of providing varying raises based on employee performance reviews. Past manager C. David Pedri had changed to a merit-based approach, saying it was more challenging to parse out but provided a strong motivational tool for employees.

Swetz said would support both options — merit-based or uniform for all — in future years based on funds allocated by council, but he decided to revert to across-the-board this year because everyone has been impacted by inflation. He noted raises were not provided to a handful of workers that were placed on “performance improvement plans” based on an evaluation of their work.

The county’s report on raises dates back to Jan. 1, when the increases took effect. As a result, it may include workers no longer employed by the county or subsequently promoted to other county positions.

After factoring in the 2% raises, the report lists the following new annual compensation amounts for employees under the county manager’s supervision:

• Council

Sharon Lawrence, council clerk, $45,755

• County Manager

Michele Sparich, grant writer, $57,742

Jennifer Thomas, executive administrative assistant, $49,324

• Human Resources

Neva Colella, HR generalist, $43,697

Allison Lussier, HR generalist, $43,697

Anthony Nicholas, HR generalist, $42,840

Jennifer Pecora, administrative services division head, $96,390

• Budget and Finance

Peggy Baloga, internal audit clerk, $44,253

Erin Chiogna, budget and policy clerk, $36,057

James Evanoski, senior accountant, $52,453

Lee Ann Holub, bank rec clerk, $30,591

Mark Majikes, office administrator, $54,060

• Assessors

Michael Lavelle, appraisal manager, $51,765

Kristin Montgomery, director of assessments, $61,200

• Treasurer

Laura Beers, office manager, $59,407

David Muroski, accountant, $59,713

• Mapping

Daniel Reese, GIS director, $65,135

Patrick Farrell Sine Sr., GIS analyst, $51,000

• Purchasing

Mary Ann Amesbury, purchasing director, $55,661

• Solicitor

Patrick Della Valle, solicitor, $70,730

Mackenzie Gagliardi, executive secretary, $43,860

Mark Makowski, solicitor, $69,496

Paula Radick, solicitor, $65,612

Harry Skene, chief county solicitor, $98,430

• Public Defender

Alison Evans, office administrator, $45,174

Steven Greenwald, chief public defender, $102,628

Bruce Reddock, chief investigator, $57,743

Randy Shaw, deputy chief investigator, $48,691

• Recorder of Deeds

Mary K. Dysleski, recorder of deeds/register of wills manager, $59,806

• Planning and Zoning

Christopher Chapman, transportation planner, $55,141

Priscilla Cuevas, planning/zoning analyst, $45,900

Matthew Jones, planning/zoning director, $66,585

Jonathan Shaw, transportation planner, $49,470

• Information Technology

Peter Ackourey, network administrator, $55,059

Jeffrey Bennett, IT analyst, $61,200

Kevin Crowley, network administrator 2, $52,723

Matthew Hannon, information security analyst, $55,080

Edward E. James III, IT service manager, $61,200

Andrew Mesaris, IT operations manager, $61,200

Johnathan O’Dell, information technician, $42,840

Manuel Ramirez, elections technician, $45,390

Peter Charles Triolo, help desk technician, $42,840

Andrew Zbikowski, network administrator, $49,837

• Boiler Plant

Robert Richard Dudick, mechanical systems engineer, $39,521

• Coroner

Joseph Jacobs, chief deputy coroner, $48,616

Kaitlin Keating-Storz, field investigator/autopsy assistant, $33,619

Jillian Matthews, coroner, $64,260

• Prothonotary

Joan Hoggarth, judicial services and records division head, $89,190

James Jesikiewicz, fiscal supervisor, $41,597

• Sheriff

Ryan Foy, lieutenant, $49,652

Eugene Gurnari, chief deputy sheriff, $58,140

Brian Szumski, sheriff, $66,960

• Records Storage

Edward Kovalski, records manager, $53,740

• Corrections Administration

Karen Krzysik, budget/finance analyst, $43,169

John Robshaw, deputy warden, $73,440

Deborah Schloss, administrative assistant, $37,455

Patricia Yudichak, executive secretary, $36,720

• Prison Minimal Offenders Unit

Stanley Betkoski, lieutenant, $62,271

Nicholas Lermitte, minimal offenders unit manager, $54,960

Kaitlyn Romiski, lieutenant, $65,545

Fred White III, lieutenant, $63,516

• County Correctional Facility

Francis Aigeldinger, records captain, $67,320

John Ameen, lieutenant, $70,379

Christina Oprishko Beyer, treatment coordinator, $53,125

John Brawley, lieutenant, $67,881

Ronald Bronsburg, lieutenant, $64,260

William Brown, lieutenant, $66,365

Patrick Kane, captain, $67,320

Sean Mulhearn, classification specialist, $35,700

Thomas Wall, captain, $67,319.98 2%

Randal Williams, lieutenant, $65,224

• 911

John Ankenbrand, part-time technical support supervisor, $25,190

Brian Black, training and quality assurance coordinator, $54,654

Angela Czapla, quality assurance officer, $48,927

John Dennis Jr., PSAP supervisor, $48,450

William Ives, technical support specialist, $59,788

Ryan Thomas Kane, PSAP supervisor, $48,450

Gina Krone, PSAP manager, $63,747

Frank Lasiewicki, PSAP supervisor, $52,036

Stephen McDaniels, PSAP supervisor, $52,160

Christopher Meeker, radio support coordinator, $57,222

Patricia Petriga, lead PSAP supervisor, $55,174

Fred Rosencrans, 911 director, $78,810

Kristen Rowlands, PSAP supervisor, $49,419

Jacob Schmitt, PSAP supervisor, $49,419

David Skoronski, Next Gen 911 GIS manager, $67,316

Jonathan Adam Trebunak, PSAP supervisor, $48,450

Jennifer Truchon, PSAP supervisor, $48,450

Barbara Wesley, training and protocol supervisor, $53,040

Andrew Zahorsky, technical support manager, $62,346

• Emergency Management

David Elmore, deputy director, $53,665

Charles Krommes, emergency management planner, $37,324

Lucille Morgan, EMA coordinator, $68,289

Ronald Smith, Act 165 coordinator, $38,760

• Road and Bridge

Gregory Kurtz, operational services division head, $96,390

Carl Lisowski, executive secretary, $39,646

• Engineers

William McIntosh, engineer/fleet manager, $73,994

Gregory Parrs, engineer, $56,827

Lawrence Plesh, county engineer, $79,840

Edgar Stark, engineer, $57,167

• Veteran Affairs

James Spagnola, director, $58,225

• Community Development

Michelle Fennell, housing manager, $50,173

Catherine Hilsher, deputy director, $69,701

Mark Hurst, municipal projects manager, $52,401

Andrew Reilly, executive director, $84,029

Jay Zupa, public service manager, $47,754

• Convention and Visitors Bureau

Sarah Harris, sales and marketing director, $54,570

Gaye Nowak, office coordinator, $31,992

Alan K. Stout, director, $66,300

• Area Agency on Aging

Sandra Acornley, senior center director 3, $41,616

James Cease, IT generalist administrator, $54,655

Timothy Farrell, fiscal officer 3, $60,690

Susan Harding, care manager supervisor 2, $63,055

Brian McAdarra, care manager supervisor 2, $46,693

Mary Roselle, executive director, $85,675

Sheila Rothenbecker, administrative assistant 1, $36,027

Mary Schell, care manager supervisor 3, $54,101

• Children and Youth

Donna Domiano, caseworker manager 2, $69,806

Ellen Dymond, administrative assistant, $52,941

Georgine Faux, administrative officer 1, $48,927

Rachel Finnegan, attorney 2, $54,825

Paul Galante, supervisory attorney 3, $74,909

Tara Golomb, clerical supervisor 2, $37,740

Scott Hampton, attorney 2, $55,648

Christopher Harrison, attorney 2, $59,039

David Maslowski, network specialist 2, $44,692

Nicholas Seaman, attorney 2, $55,922

William Urbanski, attorney 2, $55,922

• Mental Health/Developmental Services

Mary-Jean Baird-Stanislow, caseworker manager 1, $47,430

Philip Buickus, caseworker manager 2, $52,530

Tara Fox, MH/DS administrator, $76,888

Joan Kaminski, administrative assistant 2, $54,387

Amy Tomkoski, deputy administrator 2, $61,663

• Human Services

Jessica Beishline, HR business partner, $53,040

Maria Cinti, HR coordinator, $37,454

Lynn Hill, human services division head, $96,165

Caitlyn Holland, fiscal officer 3, $61,200

Crystal Jennings, budget analyst 1, $39,535

James Kolojejchick, program coordinator, $47,733

Kylee Majikes, HR analyst 2, $40,800

Charyl Nagy, HR analyst 2, $42,540

Susan Nat, administrative assistant, $39,315

Maria Pavlick, financial analyst, $49,684

Joseph Unvarsky, maintenance/facilities coordinator, $34,599

Adam Wiernusz, fiscal director, $76,831

• Drug and Alcohol

Marie Baratta, administrative assistant 1, $38,985

Pamela Coveleski, fiscal officer, $54,429

Michael Gagliardi, assistant administrator, $56,100

Michelle Galey, case management specialist, $43,822

Joy Gavrish, case management specialist, $41,706

Bianca Gibbons, case management specialist, $41,090

Ryan Hogan, administrator, $72,662

Dawn McQuiston, case management specialist, $41,501

Jill Sprau, case management supervisor, $46,699

Controller, District Attorney

County Controller Walter Griffith implemented the 2% raises for three workers, according to the report. The impacted workers and their new compensation: Lisa Cope, internal auditor, $38,760; Melissa Jones, internal auditor, $36,720; and Thomas Sokola, deputy controller, $53,040.

Raises varied in the DA’s Office.

County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said he submitted and budgeted the increases, which are covered by a mix of the general fund operating budget, grants, state stipends and drug forfeitures.

Sanguedolce said he had stated in his budget presentation to county council that the compensation changes were necessary to address a “traumatic loss of employees due to onerous workloads resulting from staffing shortages, amplified by staggering inflation, and lower starting salaries.”

He reiterated his office has been losing some employees to other courthouse offices that pay more, including three attorneys who took other county positions.

“The raises are an attempt to counteract that trend,” he said.

The new union contract covering assistant district attorneys and public defenders resulted in a nearly 20% raise, which means some non-union supervisors are now making less than those they supervise, even after receiving their own compensation increases, he said.

For example, a non-union employee who received a 10% raise was making approximately $53,000 as the division chief for vehicular crimes, which was a salary set when the assistant district attorney starting salary was $40,000, two union contracts ago. An equivalent division chief position was advertised and filled in the $60,000 starting range last year.

Sanguedolce said he had money in his budget to cover all increases due to the “unfortunate amount of vacancies,” and he intends to replenish those budget lines with incoming grant funds and other outside sources.

The non-union employees receiving increases, along with their new compensation, according to the county report:

Kelley Conner, executive assistant, $42,000, 5%

Patricia Courtney, executive secretary, $39,375, 5%

Chester Dudick, deputy district attorney, $80,430, 5%

Anne Frey, community outreach coordinator, $32,800, 3%

Amanda Nicole Gilmer, office administrator, $42,000, 5%

Michelle Giza, case manager, $57,962, 5%

Thomas Hogans, narcotics division chief, $73,641, 8%

Kristina Jordan, opioid outreach coordinator, $38,556, 5%

Daniel Marsh, DUI division chief, $60,049, 10%

Sherry Middleton, fiscal clerk, $41,080, 5%

Jessica Miraglia, juvenile division chief, $63,000, 5%

William Patton, gun violence reduction agent, $48,654, 5%

Anthony Ross, first assistant district attorney, $99,251, 4%

Rebecca Rybak, highway safety education coordinator, $40,039, 3%

Brian Sarafinko, auto theft task force operator, $55,620, 8%

Daniel Zola, deputy district attorney — narcotics, $74,624, 5%

*Narcotics agent, $48,204, 4%

*Narcotics agent, $48,668, 5%

*Narcotics agent, $48,668, 5%

*The names of three undercover narcotics agents were withheld by the Times Leader to protect their safety due to the nature of their work.