Luzerne County Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a proposed election protection ordinance that did not appear to have majority support when it was introduced two weeks ago.
A public hearing and majority council approval are necessary for the ordinance to take effect.
The hearing is at 5:30 p.m., with the voting meeting scheduled for 6 p.m., at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.
Councilwoman Joanna Bryn Smith, a Democrat, had proposed the ordinance in 2024, when it failed to pass, arguing the measure is warranted to provide an additional option to charge those accused of harassing, intimidating, and retaliating against election workers.
Bryn Smith is pushing for the ordinance again now that the 11-member council has a majority of eight Democrats.
However, five voted against the ordinance introduction two weeks ago: Democrats Steve Coslett and Dawn Simmons, and Republicans Harry Haas, John Lombardo, and LeeAnn McDermott. Councilwoman Denise Williams, a Democrat, also expressed reservations, saying she believes protections are “already in place” and that the proposal “oversteps our legal authority.”
Coslett had said the ordinance is “extremely redundant,” and Simmons said there are “too many questions.”
Critics asserted that laws already are on the books for such crimes and that the wording of the new ordinance could subject those expressing concerns to retaliation and stifle their right to free speech.
Bryn Smith argued the ordinance is “legally sound” and urged against “poor arguments” and “fearmongering.”
Board appointments
Council will fill vacant seats on 24 county boards, authorities, and commissions on Tuesday, according to the agenda posted Friday.
An updated list of applicants posted at luzernecounty.org Friday evening indicates only one citizen — Audrey Serniak — is eligible for appointment to a Democratic seat on the county’s volunteer, five-citizen Election Board.
Public interviews were scheduled last week for four other Democratic election board applicants, but two may be deemed ineligible under county home rule charter restrictions, officials said. A third withdrew from consideration due to concerns about the board’s post-election adjudication time commitment, and the fourth was not in attendance for the required public interview.
Serniak, a retired personal insurance representative from Plains Township, previously served on the Election Board and has continued to actively participate as an observer during adjudication and at board meetings.
The Republican applicants are Roxanne Arreguin, a self-employed bookkeeper from West Pittston, and Mark Robinson, a retired state corrections officer and military veteran from Wilkes-Barre.
The Election Board is an independent body that oversees election procedures, makes determinations on flagged ballots and write-in votes, and certifies election results.
Airport agreement
An agreement with Lackawanna County to continue jointly operating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Pittston Township is also on Tuesday’s voting agenda.
The Federal Aviation Administration had informed the airport that future airport grant funds were at risk if a bi-county agreement was not executed, officials said in October. Approximately $21.3 million in federal grant funds are anticipated for airport projects over the next few years.
Under the proposed partnership agreement, each county will be equally responsible for the costs associated with operating the airport. If airport revenues are insufficient to cover operating costs, each county must equally contribute funds “until the deficiency is reasonably resolved.”
In a situation where one county is unable to contribute in whole or part, the other county must supplement the costs on the condition that the non-contributing county enters into a formal agreement to repay that amount to the other county on terms amenable to both, it said.
The existing Bi-County Airport Board, with three representatives from each county, will manage the partnership. For a motion or resolution to pass, a majority of each county’s representatives must agree to the action.
New division
Continued discussion about a proposed new county division is scheduled during Tuesday’s work session, which follows the voting meeting.
The proposed Infrastructure, Community, and Economic Development Division would be the first new division added since the January 2012 implementation of the county’s home rule structure, which created eight divisions.
Council members expressed mixed views on the proposal two weeks ago.
Council Chairman Jimmy Sabatino said the second work session discussion is warranted because he wants to ensure all questions are publicly answered before the matter proceeds to a vote.