Luzerne County advertises chief public defender position

Luzerne County has publicly advertised the chief public defender position at a salary range of $100,000 to $105,000 annually, according to an online posting.

The position — one of eight top division heads under the home rule structure — is open because county Manager Romilda Crocamo terminated Steven Greenwald as chief public defender in October. She did not state any reasons due to personnel confidentiality, and Greenwald had declined comment.

Crocamo appointed Attorney Joseph Yeager as interim chief public defender, citing his more than 40 years of experience as an assistant public defender.

The office must defend low-income clients who request representation for misdemeanor or felony charges.

Applications for the chief public defender are due Jan. 1.

Minimum qualifications include three to five years in legal practice representing individuals charged with a criminal offense or juvenile delinquency, the posting says.

Greenwald had served as chief public defender since April 2013 and previously worked as an assistant public defender since 1994. He received $102,628 annually.

The chief public defender cannot have an outside legal practice, officials have said.

The position is one of two division head openings. Operational Services Division Head Greg Kurtz submitted his resignation earlier this month, and Administrative Services Division Head Jennifer Pecora temporarily stepped away from her position to be the interim operational services head. The operational position has not yet been advertised.

In the public defender’s office, assistant public defender vacancies have been highlighted as a concern.

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.