Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith advertises positions

Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith is publicly advertising two positions in his office — deputy controller and auditor, an online posting shows.

The deputy controller position is advertised at a range of $50,000 to $55,000, while the internal auditor is listed at a range of $30,000 to $32,000.

Resumes are due Feb. 1. Information on the requirements and qualifications are posted under the career opportunities section of the human resources department page at luzernecounty.org.

Ballot question

Council will hold a public hearing at 5:50 p.m. Tuesday on a proposed May 17 primary election ballot question that would ask voters if council can have its own solicitor instead of relying on the county’s law office.

A ballot question would be necessary to alter the county’s home rule charter and allow the change.

Council is scheduled to cast a final vote on adding the ballot question during its voting meeting, which follows the public hearing.

Both will be held at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, with instructions to attend the meeting remotely posted under council’s online meetings section at luzernecounty.org.

Law firm restoration

Council is once again set to vote on the administration’s request to return Joyce, Carmody & Moran P.C. to the insurance carrier panel of firms eligible to provide county litigation defense.

Council had barred the firm from handling future county litigation in November 2020 after learning through national media coverage that the firm had filed a motion on the county’s behalf seeking recusal of then-new Supreme Justice Amy Coney Barrett from a case involving ballot-counting deadlines.

In pushing for reinstatement, Acting County Manager Romilda Crocamo has said the firm is “very responsive,” familiar with the county and had performed “exceptional work for the county” in the past.

Council had twice tabled action on the restoration request last year.

Ethics complaint

An ethics complaint against Councilman Stephen J. Urban is up for discussion during council’s work session Tuesday, which follows the voting meeting.

The county ethics commission is recommending a $100 fine and censure against Urban over his February 2021 acceptance of an election board chairmanship seat. Urban’s 10 council colleagues had unanimously voted the following month to remove him from the election board because the charter states no election board member shall be or have been an elected county official at the time of appointment or for four years prior. The two citizen board members who made him chair also were removed by council.

Denise Williams said she had filed the ethics complaint before she was appointed election board chairwoman in April 2021 because she was “appalled” witnessing his appointment to the seat as a citizen meeting attendee.

This is the first time the commission has advised council to impose punishment since the ethics commission was created under the home rule government implemented a decade ago, officials said.

Urban has argued he was trying to help the board with his knowledge of elections and already has been censured through the vote of all colleagues and their public statements when he was removed.

Manager Search

The county’s Manager Search Committee will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the county courthouse in Wilkes-Barre, with remote attendance instructions posted under the council online meetings link at luzernecounty.org.

As required by the charter, the seven-citizen committee is seeking and screening applicants for the county’s top manager position so it can recommend qualified candidates to council for its consideration.

The committee launched its advertising campaign Dec. 27 and plans to seek resumes through today (Jan. 24), with information on the position and region posted at luzernecountymanager.com.