Luzerne County Council to interview manager search committee applicants Tuesday

The first step to finding a new Luzerne County manager will start at 5 p.m. Tuesday, when county council publicly interviews 10 citizens interested in serving on the manager search committee.

This committee must seek, screen and interview manager applicants and recommend the candidates it believes are the most qualified to council for its consideration. Council plans to select three citizens to serve on the committee Jan. 10.

Douglas Wallace had applied for the committee but subsequently withdrew, leaving 10, council members said.

The interview schedule: 5 p.m., Danielle Ader; 5:10 p.m., John Bonita; 5:20 p.m., John Dean; 5:30 p.m., Robert Fisher; 5:40 p.m., David Fusco; 5:50 p.m., Margaret Gushka; 6 p.m., Harry Haas; 6:10 p.m., Linda McClosky Houck; 6:20 p.m., Robert Lemoncelli; and 6:30 p.m., Charles Sciandra.

An outside committee must be convened due to Randy Robertson’s resignation after five months in the top post.

The interview sessions will be at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, with instructions for remote attendance posted under council’s online meeting link at luzernecounty.org.

Property sale

Following the manager search interviews, council will hold a special meeting at 7 p.m. to vote on the sale of a county-owned residence in West Pittston.

Located at 1200 Susquehanna Ave., the property was acquired by the county earlier this year in its settlement of 2018 litigation filed by Richard and Kimberly Hazzouri, which argued the couple was wrongly prevented from participating in a flood buyout program.

The settlement awarded $650,000 for the property based on an appraisal of its pre-flood value, officials have said.

A $380,000 purchase offer is before council Tuesday.

Board seats

Council is accepting applications for all authorities, boards and commissions on a rolling basis, according to an online posting.

Most boards have members in terms that expired by the end of December 2022, which means council must vote to fill them, the posting says.

The list of those with vacancies: Area Agency On Aging Advisory Board, Arts Advisory Board, Blighted Property Review Committee, Children and Youth Advisory Board, Convention and Visitors Bureau Board, Convention Center Authority, County Cares Commission, Drug and Alcohol Executive Commission, Farmland Preservation Board, Flood Protection Authority, Forty-Fort Airport Advisory Board, Housing Authority, Industrial Development Authority, Luzerne Conservation District Board of Directors, Luzerne County Community College Board of Trustees, Transportation Authority, Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board, Mental Health and Developmental Services Program Advisory Board, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health and Higher Education Authority, Planning Commission, Redevelopment Authority and Zoning Hearing Board.

Applicants must be publicly interviewed to be eligible for consideration.

More information is available on council’s authorities/boards/commissions link at luzernecounty.org.

Election

The county election board will meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the county courthouse in Wilkes-Barre.

Instructions for remote attendance will be posted under council’s authorities/boards/commissions online meeting section at luzernecounty.org.