Democrat Tim McGinley will return to Luzerne County government as the elected controller, which means incumbent Republican Walter Griffith must wrap up his term at the end of this year, according to unofficial election results.
McGinley is no stranger to county government because he served three elected terms on county council, or a total of 12 years, from the 2012 start of home rule until the end of 2023. He subsequently served as an elected member of the county Government Study Commission.
“I’m very happy. To beat out an incumbent is always somewhat difficult, and I thank all my supporters and all the people who helped me throughout the campaign,” said McGinley, 78, of Kingston.
McGinley said he will be “doing a lot of background work” so he can hit the ground running in January.
“I’ll be ready to go,” said McGinley, who celebrated with family and campaign volunteers at Senunas’ Bar & Grill in Wilkes-Barre.
With all 186 precincts reporting, the unofficial vote tally was 39,015 for McGinley and 36,511 for Griffith.
Griffith said he respects the voters’ decision.
“I gave it my best shot. It is what it is. The people decided what they want, and I hope they get what they asked for,” said Griffith, 71, of Kingston Township.
Griffith said he will still actively attend county government meetings and speak out after leaving office.
“Nothing’s changing for me, other than that I won’t be collecting a salary,” he said.
He also said he will assist McGinley in any way because “it’s about the people, not the office.”
The controller receives $64,999 annually to be the independent watchdog over county fiscal and management activities.
Under the home rule charter, the controller must have “unrestricted access” to records and the authority to conduct financial, performance, and compliance audits of any county department and the county’s authorities, boards, and commissions.
On the campaign trail, McGinley emphasized his experience in budgeting and contracts and said he learned much about auditing serving on council’s Budget, Finance and Audit Committee throughout his council tenure.
Prior to public office, McGinley had worked as the administration director at the nonprofit Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) for a decade and previously was employed in public education for 30 years.
McGinley said his first focus as controller would be on all departments that handle money, particularly cash.
He also said he would concentrate on the duties and responsibilities of the office and “not get into other areas that I think crop up.”
Describing himself as a “problem solver,” McGinley has said he believes in transparency and public disclosure and would remain independent. He also wants to work with others to remedy audit findings.
McGinley serves on the Wyoming Valley West School Board but must step down from that seat because the county charter prohibits the controller from holding any other elective public office.
Griffith started his controller term in January 2022. He also served on county council in 2020 and 2021 and was previously county controller from 2010 until August 2013. He said his office has completed 150 audits to date, maintaining that none of his predecessors followed such an aggressive schedule.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
