Republican Carl Bienias III will fill the Luzerne County Council seat vacated by Walter Griffith now that he is controller, council decided Tuesday night.
Council Chairwoman Kendra Radle also announced the identify of the three applicants recommended by the citizen manager search committee for the county’s top management position: Romilda Crocamo, David W. Johnston and Randy Robertson. (See separate story.)
Council also approved proposals to allocate American Rescue Plan funding to the county Flood Protection Authority and the North East Pennsylvania Land Bank Authority but chose not to act at this time on another proposal to allocate up to $20 million to provide grants to small businesses.
Numerous appointments also were made to outside boards, authorities and commissions.
Council seat
Bienias, 34, of Hanover Township, has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in political science from King’s College and obtained a law degree from the Widener University School of Law.
He is licensed to practice before the state Supreme Court and works for a law firm assigned to matters throughout the state.
Bienias will serve through Jan. 2, 2024 and receive $8,000 annually. Twelve Republicans publicly interviewed for the seat.
Speaking during public comment, Bienias said he is “honored” to be appointed and looks forward to immediately performing his duties.
Top manager
Under a manager selection plan council adopted Tuesday, council will hold a closed-door executive session March 3 to review the results of background checks, applicant resumes and other information supplied by the search committee.
Council will contact applicants March 4 to schedule in-person interviews to be conducted the week of March 14.
After council’s interviews are completed, council members plan to hold another executive session on March 21 to discuss the interviews and their rankings.
If all goes as planned, the hiring vote would be the next evening, March 22. Seven of 11 council votes — a majority plus one — are required to hire the manager.
American Rescue
Council approved an earmark of up to $8 million to the flood protection authority, which oversees the Wyoming Valley Levee along the Susquehanna River.
In exchange, the authority agreed to provide a rebate of at least 10% to levee fee payers this year and pledge to not raise the levee fee for three years.
Some council members had argued for a greater levee fee reduction, but council ended up unanimously approving the allocation to keep the flood-control system strong.
The authority won’t be permitted to draw down funds until the county verifies work meets federal eligibility requirements.
The land bank authority, a regional entity focused on blight reduction, will receive a $500,000 allocation. It covers Pittston, Jenkins Township and the boroughs of West Pittston, Duryea and Avoca.
It’s unclear if council will revisit the proposal to allocate grants to small businesses. Council members have offered mixed reactions on the proposal, with some saying they want to continue reviewing all options for spending the funds.
Before Tuesday’s earmarks, council had allocated nearly $5 million of its $113 million in federal American Rescue funding — $924,000 to cover its public transportation matches and $4 million for county prison repairs and information technology needs. The county does not have to commit to an American Rescue allocation plan until the end of 2024 and has until the end of 2026 to spend the money.
The county’s administration pitched the $20 million allocation to help businesses with up to 19 employees weather staffing challenges, inflation and continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Board appointments
Council appointed or reappointed the following citizens to outside county boards: Convention Center Authority (oversees the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township), Lori Spencer, Lara Guillermo, John Pickering, John Ruckno and Frank Orloski; Housing Authority, Daniel Siani; Redevelopment Authority, John Pekarovsky; Transportation Authority, Valerie Kepner and Charles Sciandra; Conservation District, Tracey Chonko and Thomas Herbert; Ethics Commission, Thomas Mosca; Arts Advisory Board, Howard Grossman and Michele Millington; Board of Assessment Appeals, Michael Vacendak; County Cares Commission, Ronald Knapp and Bonnie Wasilewski; Children and Youth Advisory Board, Helene Elko, Kathleen McCarthy and Tiffany Spearman; County Community College, Robert Bertoni and Joseph Esposito; Convention and Visitors Bureau, Tony Brooks, Amanda Cromer and Barry Tenenbaum; Farmland Preservation, Jon Lucas and Linda Thoma; Aging Agency Advisory Board, Joanne Corey, Noah Davis and Dominick Trombetta; Mental Health/Developmental Services, Jillian Matyjevich and Scott Crispell.
Council appointed Danny Schramm to fill a Democratic vacancy on the county Election Board, which oversees elections, but it was unable to fill the Republican seat due to division on the selection.
With Councilman Tim McGinley absent and Bienias not yet sworn in, nine council members were able to vote.
A majority — five — voted to reappoint Richard Nardone to the seat, but six votes are required for board appointments. The other four supported Alyssa Fusaro.
Nardone, of Slocum Township, is a a consulting business operator and pilot semi-retired after more than 40 years in human resource management, labor relations and general operations management.
Fusaro, of Luzerne, is a medical courier and was previously a branch manager for a major insurance company.
Fusaro went to the podium during public comment before Tuesday’s vote and urged council to appoint her.
The council members supporting Nardone: John Lombardo, LeeAnn McDermott, Chris Perry, Robert Schnee and Radle.
The four voting for Fusaro: Stephen J. Urban, Brian Thornton, Gregory Wolovich Jr. and Kevin Lescavage.
Council voted a second time to see if any votes would change, but they did not.
Council tabled a decision on the appointment until the next meeting, when Bienias will be able to vote and McGinley may be present.