Luzerne County voters will select five county council members in the Nov. 4 general election, and there are 10 contenders.
The candidates: Democrats Chris Belles, Steven M. Coslett, Tony Perzia, Dawn Simmons, and Denise Williams, and Republicans John Lombardo, Jackie Scarcella, Brian Thornton, Stephen J. Urban, and Greg Wolovich.
Council members receive $8,000 annually. In addition to adopting a budget, their duties include approving larger contracts, appointing members to outside county boards, enacting codes and ordinances, confirming nominations to eight division head positions, and hiring/firing and evaluating the manager.
The five council members selected in November will take office or begin new terms at the beginning of 2026 and serve with Democrats Joanna Bryn Smith, Patty Krushnowski, Jimmy Sabatino, and Brittany Stephenson, and Republicans Harry Haas and LeeAnn McDermott.
Lombardo, Thornton, and Wolovich are incumbents. Members Kevin Lescavage and Chris Perry will wrap up their terms at the end of this year. Lescavage did not secure a nomination in the primary election, and Perry did not seek re-election.
A synopsis of the candidates based on their public statements, campaign announcements, and comments made during a September forum held by the Wilkes-Barre Area League of Women Voters:
• Belles, 39, of West Pittston, is a 2004 Dallas High School graduate and has a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from King’s College. He currently works as a data analyst focused on identifying efficiency opportunities.
Belles said he is running because he cares about county residents and wants to “make life better for them.” He said his professional skills as an analyst are unique and would benefit council.
“I can help innovate the county, grow our economy, attract the correct — I will repeat the correct — kind of development that will bring in better-paying jobs, expand the tax base, but, most importantly, that will make this place seem or continue to seem like it’s home,” Belles said.
The problems and decisions facing county government “require brains and real thought” to identify the best solution, Belles said.
“As long as the answer is the correct answer, I’m not really concerned with whether my party is OK with it or not. It’s the correct answer,” Belles said. “I’d rather be a good neighbor than a good Democrat at the end of the day.”
• Coslett, 57, of Forty Fort, graduated from the Wyoming Valley West School District and attended Luzerne County Community College, where he studied business management and criminal justice. Coslett is also a graduate of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Academy in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
He worked for the county correctional services division for 23 years and said he intimately understands county government and matters warranting attention. Now retired, he continues to serve on the prison honor guard and its board of directors.
Coslett said he had a great career in the county prison system and wants to “give back.”
He said more oversight is needed at the prison for safety and efficiency, and identified county infrastructure repair and maintenance among his top priorities.
“Everything is reactionary, not proactive. I think we need to take a proactive approach over the next five years with our bridges so they don’t get shut down at the last minute,” Coslett said.
• Lombardo, 32, of Pittston, received a bachelor’s degree in political science and media relations from Penn State University in 2015. He works as a full-time firefighter/EMT at the City Fire Bureau and has served on County Council since January 2022, acting as council chair since the start of 2024.
Lombardo described himself as “decisive, fair, and firm” as council chair.
“I’ve always taken the job seriously, made tough decisions with the residents in mind and not my ideology, and I’m proud of how far we’ve come,” Lombardo said. “At the end of the day, experience matters on council. Together, we’ve built a foundation for a renaissance in Luzerne County. We need strong, dedicated leaders who will take it across the finish line, and I believe I’m one of those leaders.”
He cited progress during his term in economic development, significant repayment of inherited debt, the allocation of more than $100 million to road and bridge projects, the expansion of property tax elimination to all disabled veterans, and allocations through post-pandemic federal funding to feed tens of thousands of food-insecure children and assist more than 900 small businesses.
“There is still a lot of work to do. I will continue to put the residents before my own goals, like I do in my job, putting the lives of those in danger above myself every single day,” he said.
• Perzia, 75, of Luzerne, said he is a dedicated public advocate with more than 30 years of experience in the community. He has served on the Luzerne Borough Council, as the Wyoming Valley West School District’s support staff president, and on the PSEA Legislative Committee.
Perzia said he would apply his 25 years of experience on the borough council to the elected county council post because he understands how to balance budgets, govern, and plan for the future, including infrastructure needs.
“I learned to listen to people — what they need, and how to work to get things done for all the people,” Perzia said.
He said he has also been involved in contract negotiations at Wyoming Valley West and has knowledge of how laws are written and passed from serving on the PSEA Legislative Committee.
“I’m running to improve infrastructure and to protect the rights of taxpayers and employees,” Perzia said.
• Scarcella, 64, of Hazle Township, works as the development and alumni stewardship officer at Penn State University’s Hazleton campus and is a graduate of Hazleton High School and the Luzerne County Community College. She served two terms on the Hazleton Area School Board from 2016 to 2023. Before her position at Penn State, she worked in the financial industry for over 20 years.
Scarcella said she learned to “manage resources responsibly” in her financial industry career and worked hard on the school board to balance large budgets while keeping taxes low and “always putting our students and families first.” She would leverage her finance experience to “ensure prudent budgeting, reduce wasteful spending, and align county expenditures with resident needs.”
In her position, she works with alumni and donors to “create opportunities for students to succeed.”
“I’m running because I deeply care about our county, and I want to bring responsible leadership, fiscal accountability and strong community values to our county government,” Scarcella said.
• Simmons, 55, of Wilkes-Barre, is a U.S. Air Force veteran and Realtor and described herself as a “resolute advocate for veterans, families, and economic growth.”
Originally from the Bronx, Simmons said she chose to make Wilkes-Barre her home in 2012 and raise her family here.
She served in the Air Force with distinction both stateside and abroad and said she is the “sum total of my life experiences,” which included “wartime circumstances in theater while bombs are going off.” Simmons joined the military when she was 18 and still in high school, and gained experience as a squad leader in basic training.
“I bring all of these talents and all of these leadership skills with me to the table,” Simmons said.
Simmons identified the lack of affordable and available housing for middle- and lower-income families as a “burgeoning problem” she would work to address on council, saying she understands the issue as a Realtor and through her experience as a community advocate.
• Thornton, 65, of West Pittston, graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in mechanical engineering. He initially worked as a heavy highway and bridge project engineer in the New York City/New Jersey metro region and then as a financial advisor in the county for 30 years before retiring. He served on West Pittston Borough Council for 11 years (six as president) and has been a county council member since January 2022, serving as council vice chair since January 2024.
Thornton noted he also chairs three council committees — Budget, Finance and Audit; Authorities, Boards and Commissions; and Act 13. He is vice chair of the county Retirement Board, which oversees the employee pension fund.
“Experience does matter,” Thornton said.
As evidence of fiscal progress during his current term, Thornton pointed to the county pension fund’s record high value of $341 million, continued paying down of past debt, and credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s 2023 elevation of the county to an A rating with a stable outlook — a rating the agency reaffirmed last month.
Regarding infrastructure, Thornton said the county secured funding to replace two major county-owned bridges over the Susquehanna River — the Firefighters’ Memorial Bridge (Water Street) linking Pittston and West Pittston and the Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge connecting the city and West Nanticoke section of Plymouth Township.
“Those projects are finally moving forward,” Thornton said.
• Urban, 51, of Kingston, is an IT support coordinator for a major food distributor and a prior county council member. He served on the county council from 2012 through 2015 and from 2020 through 2023, and was also an elected member of the county Government Study Commission that drafted a revised home rule charter, also on the Nov. 4 ballot. In addition to his full-time IT position, Urban said he works as a part-time assistant restaurant manager and mobile disc jockey.
“My focus is to conduct the business of the county with conservative principles and values, utilizing fiscal restraint while providing quality and responsive county services,” he said. “We also must ensure we have fair elections with the utmost integrity and also ensure our county infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, are maintained or rebuilt.”
Urban said his eight years of prior council experience are an asset because he understands county government, its role, and what can and can’t be done.
“You need people who are quick on their feet and don’t have to learn the job,” said Urban, who is the son of past county commissioner and councilman Stephen A. Urban.
• Williams, 63, of Kingston Township, began her career as a registered nurse and later became the religious education coordinator at St. Therese’s Church in Shavertown, a role she held for 24 years until her retirement in 2021. From 2017 to 2021, Williams volunteered with Fair Districts PA, a nonpartisan citizens group working to end gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. She served as county election board chair from 2021 through the end of 2024.
Williams said she is running for council because she believes government “must be transparent, accountable and focused on the people, not political insiders.”
“I’m not interested in partisan games or division. What I am interested in is bringing people together to solve problems, support our county employees and make decisions that serve every resident of Luzerne County,” she said. “Together, we can build a stronger, fairer county government that truly works for all of us.”
Williams said she would “work tirelessly for all residents to make sure their best interests are at the forefront” and is committing to “doing homework” on all issues before council, including asking “questions that need to be asked.”
• Wolovich, 33, of Hanover Township, has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from King’s College and has worked for 18 years at Wegmans, currently as overnight operations manager at the Wegmans Food Market in Wilkes-Barre Township. He has served on the county council since January 2022.
Wolovich said his accounting degree has been valuable for budgeting and other fiscal decisions on council. He also said he votes his conscience, noting it “takes a lot of courage to make sure you are doing the right thing for the people.”
“It’s not an easy job being on County Council. There are a lot of tough decisions that need to be made, and they’re not made lightly,” Wolovich said. “There are 330,000 residents in Luzerne County, and it’s our responsibility to make sure everyone is getting the government they deserve.”
He said he works with all council colleagues, regardless of their political affiliation, to reach the best solution for proceeding with the matters before them.
“We’re running for the residents of Luzerne County. We shouldn’t be worried about Republican or Democrat. We need to be worried about what is affecting the people we represent.”
