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Luzerne County Sheriff

November 7, 2007

New sheriff in town: Savokinas unseats Stankus

Incumbent cites Luzerne County voters using straight Democratic ticket for his loss.

WILKES-BARRE – Barry Stankus thinks “the machine” got him.

The two-term Republican sheriff lost his bid for a third term Tuesday night to Democratic challenger Michael Savokinas.

According to unofficial results, Savokinas earned 30,040 votes to beats Stankus’ 29,440 votes.

The major contributor to the loss, Stankus said, was the vast number of registered Democratic voters in Luzerne County. Those people opted to pull a “straight Democratic vote” Tuesday, voting for the entire party rather than individual candidates, Stankus said.

“I just could not beat the machine,” Stankus said. “Four years ago, I did beat the machine.”

This year, though, that Democratic machine was well-organized and had loads of poll workers out, Stankus said. Some attack ads by Savokinas might have also played a factor in the loss, too, Stankus said.

“What are you gonna do?” he said. “They want him, they got him.”

Savokinas, a 34-year-old Exeter Township resident, credited his win to solid teamwork by his family and campaign group, and because voters were upset with the direction Stankus was leading the office.

“It’s like a fairy tale,” Savokinas said. “It’s something that I wanted for a long time and I’m just happy I won.”

The four-year term carries a yearly salary of about $36,500.

In his bid for the office, Savokinas focused on problems he’d like to rectify in the office.

He said an accumulation of arrest warrants was a “huge concern.” He vowed to make adjustments to put a dent in the backlog.

He was also disturbed that an audit revealed the office wasn’t turning over revenue to the treasurer’s office in a timely manner. He wants to have a certified public accountant watch over all such issues in all county offices.

Savokinas said he wants to have the office work more closely with local police departments to reduce the drug and crime problems throughout the county.

“It’s a people’s office,” Savokinas, an intelligence officer for the Canadian Pacific Railway Police, said. “I will represent the people to the best of my ability.”

David Weiss, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7397.

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