Luzerne County division head Kurtz resigns

Luzerne County Operational Services Division Head Greg Kurtz submitted his resignation, effective immediately, county Manager Romilda Crocamo informed county council Friday night.

Kurtz said Friday night he is pursuing other opportunities. He was appointed operational services division head in September 2022.

His resignation letter was succinct: “I appreciate the opportunity. I learned much about government, but it appears that it is just not working out.”

Crocamo wished Kurtz success in his future endeavors.

Crocamo told council Jennifer Pecora will temporarily step away from her division head position overseeing administrative services to serve as interim operational services division head.

In turn, county grants writer Michele Sparich will fill the interim administrative services division head position, Crocamo said.

The county’s operational division includes engineering, roads/bridges, planning/zoning, 911, emergency management, building/grounds, the boiler plant and solid waste management.

The county has eight division heads in the county’s home rule structure, and this is the third division head change since Crocamo started work as the county overseer in May.

Prior budget/finance division head Brian Swetz left in August to accept a Wilkes-Barre city government position. Mary Roselle served as interim budget/finance division head and was permanently appointed to the position in November.

In the second change, Crocamo terminated Steven Greenwald from his position as chief public defender in October. She did not state any reasons due to personnel confidentiality.

Crocamo appointed Attorney Joseph Yeager as interim chief public defender, saying he has worked as an assistant public defender for more than 40 years. An advertisement is expected soon seeking applicants for that division head position. The office must defend low-income clients who request representation for misdemeanor or felony charges.

Interim overseers

Pecora was hired as administrative services division head in August 2022.

She previously worked as the Butler Township manager for four years, which included oversight of township roadways and budgets.

In this role, Pecora also worked on capital projects and served as the emergency management coordinator, working closely with first responders. She worked with the local planning and zoning commissions and oversaw permitting, land development, subdivisions and lot consolidations. Pecora served as the alternate Pennsylvania Certified Building Code Official for the township and is familiar with wastewater and stormwater management.

Sparich has worked for the county since March 2003. As grant writer, she works with multiple county departments and outside entities to develop applications seeking funding and provide program-related administration. She also has served as interim purchasing director, manages the county’s insurance and is part of the county administrative team responsible for overseeing the county’s federal American Rescue Plan Act program. She has more than 25 years of local government experience and previously worked as grant administrator in Northampton County’s Department of Community and Economic Development.

Administrative services covers the election bureau and seven other departments: human resources, purchasing/acquisition, information technology, GIS/mapping, licensing/permits, community development and tourism.

Under the county’s home rule charter, employees can serve as interim division heads for 90 days in each calendar year. The charter requires council confirmation of the manager’s nominees for the eight division head positions.

The other current county division heads are: Lynn Hill, human services; Joan Hoggarth, judicial services and records; Harry W. Skene, chief solicitor/office of law; and James Wilbur, correctional services.

Operational changes

Crocamo is proceeding with a restructuring of the engineering department, which falls under operational services.

The position list she presented as part of the council-adopted 2024 budget eliminates all four staff engineer positions and replaces them with project managers.

Crocamo has said most counties this size do not have a department of staff engineers, and most of the actual project work is contracted out.

Project managers would not have to be engineers, and she has said she believes the restructuring will improve the county’s oversight of pending projects and planning of work that will be needed in coming years, including ongoing maintenance.

“We really do have a plethora of different projects involving county-owned buildings, roads, bridges and other infrastructure, and expertise and specialized focus is needed on those projects to make sure they are completed in a timely manner and within projected costs,” Crocamo said in October.

Most county-owned buildings are old, and “each presents their own challenges of improvements that have to be made,” she had said.

They include the historic courthouse on River Street and these also in the city: Bernard C. Brominski Building, North Street; Courthouse Annex, River Street; Penn Place and the human services buildings, both on Pennsylvania Avenue; the prison, parkade and Emergency Management Agency building on Water Street; and the engineering/road and bridge and prison minimum offenders building on Reichard Street.

One current county engineer position is vacant, and the three remaining staff engineers have been informed of the plan and encouraged to apply for the project manager positions when they are advertised, she has said.