Luzerne County government working to fill vacancies

Luzerne County government has made some progress filling vacancies, but many open positions still remain, county Manager Romilda Crocamo told council this week.

“We’re trending in the right direction, but we have work to do,” Crocamo said in response to an inquiry from county Councilman Tim McGinley during Tuesday’s meeting.

As examples, Crocamo said 911 telecommunicator and sheriff deputy vacancy rates appear to be decreasing, and she has been signing more hiring authorizations for Children and Youth caseworkers.

McGinley specifically asked about Public Defender’s Office vacancies during Tuesday’s meeting.

Council had approved a collective bargaining agreement in February that significantly increased the starting salary for unionized assistant district attorneys and public defenders — a change pushed to help with recruitment and retention.

Under the contract, the entry salary rose from $51,083 to $60,500 for full-time assistant district attorneys/public defenders and from $34,165 to $39,885 for part-timers.

Chief Public Defender Steven Greenwald told council Tuesday he has eight vacancies and has been reaching out to law schools nationally instead of focusing only on those in Pennsylvania.

“I’m being very aggressive in recruiting,” Greenwald said.

The shortages, at times, may cause delays in court cases being adjudicated.

In the DA’s Office, there are nine open assistant district attorney positions, according to a Sept. 9 vacancy report Crocamo sent to council after Tuesday’s meeting.

“We have a great staff that is working overtime to fill the gaps, but we are actively recruiting to attempt to fill our open positions,” county District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said Thursday.

With a vacancy rate of 25% of the lawyers in the DA’s Office, the work handled by existing staff is “exponentially more difficult considering that the volume of cases and the complexity of those cases is ever increasing,” Sanguedolce said.

“I regularly encounter so many residents that express concerns about crime in their neighborhoods. I am surprised that more young lawyers on a full-time basis, or more seasoned lawyers on a part-time basis, are not motivated to get involved and work alongside police to protect our communities,” the DA said.

Many lawyers previously employed by the DA’s Office, including judges, have told Sanguedolce their favorite legal job was prosecuting cases, he said.

“The position allows you to work solving the riddles that result from daily crime, debate and argue important legal principles and work together with dozens of other like-minded, intelligent lawyers to pursue justice,” Sanguedolce said. “I really cannot think of a better, more fulfilling position like it in the world.”

The county vacancy report indicates the greatest number of openings are for prison correctional officers (12), 911 telecommunicators (30), Children and Youth caseworkers (54) and Aging Agency care managers (13).

Among other positions, the county also is seeking five deputy sheriffs, eight part-time airport police officers in the DA’s Office, five part-time assistant conflict counsel attorneys and three part-time assistant solicitors, the report said.

In addition to caseworkers, Children and Youth has five clerk typist and seven social service aide openings, it said.

Crocamo told council Children and Youth also is concentrating on recruiting supervisors. The recent hiring of Leslie Ward as the agency’s deputy director should help bolster efforts to attract and retain staff, she said.

“During her interview, she had some really good ideas. Hopefully those can get implemented,” Crocamo said.

County court branches also have been wrestling with filling vacancies in some areas, officials said.

County government job openings are posted under the human resources department’s career opportunities link at luzernecounty.org.