Initial county council chosen

One year after Luzerne County voters chose a historic switch to home rule government, they have selected the 11 people who will steer the county through the change.

Voters picked six Democrats, four Republicans and one Independent from a ballot of 28 contenders.

Sugarloaf Township resident Rick Morelli, a Republican, came out on top, with 25,003 votes, according to unofficial results.

Democrat Stephen A. Urban -- the only incumbent county commissioner to seek a council seat – came in second with 23,631 votes. His son, Stephen J. Urban, a Republican, also secured a seat.

Both men have said they are independent thinkers and expect to disagree at times on county issues.

The following top six vote-getters will serve for four years, according to unofficial results: Morelli; Stephen A. Urban; Jim Bobeck, Democrat, 23,396; Stephen J. Urban, 22,577; Tim McGinley, 21,640; and Edward A. Brominski, 21,610.

The remaining five winners, who will serve two-year terms, are: Harry Haas, Republican, 21,292; Rick Williams, Independent, 20,345; Elaine Maddon Curry, Democrat, 19,572; Linda McClosky Houck, Democrat, 19,351; and Eugene Kelleher, Republican, 18,852.

The race was close, as predicted by political analysts, with Democrat Eileen M. Sorokas losing to Kelleher by only 59 votes.

Only one of the elected candidates was part of the four-person, union-endorsed “Working Families for Luzerne County” slate -- McClosky Houck.

Morelli, 40, an ADHD awareness specialist at Shire Pharmaceuticals and a business owner, said he was “humbled” to finish at the head of the pack.

He noted that 3,669 Republican voters and 5,589 Democrats chose the straight-party option to select candidates, which meant that he and other Republican candidates had to overcome a nearly 2,000-vote disadvantage.

“I’m very emotional. That’s the way to describe it right now. When so many people put confidence in you … I’m lost for words right now,” Morelli said.

He was the only candidate who both helped to draft the home rule charter and served on the home rule transition committee. Morelli said his MBA in finance and his business experience would benefit the new council, and he stressed that he is “no one’s rubber stamp.”

Morelli believes citizens will be “very proud” of the new council, saying it’s a “good group” with “diverse backgrounds.”

“We now all need to work together to start rebuilding our county. It’s not going to happen overnight, but I believe in the long run the citizens of Luzerne County will have a more honest and efficient government that they can trust,” he said.

Commissioner gets nod

Stephen A. Urban, 59, of Wilkes-Barre, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who has served as a Luzerne County commissioner since 2000, campaigned on his experience in county government and his willingness to share that knowledge with other council members and the public.

Bobeck, 31, a Democrat from Kingston, is an attorney and administrative law judge for the state Bureau of Hearings and Appeals. He is chairman of the home rule transition committee and campaigned on his leadership and legal experience, saying he has a firm grasp on decisions that must be made by the new council.

Bobeck thanked voters and his family, in particular his wife, Megan, and his parents.

“The whole county is a winner, as the citizens of this county have taken a monumental step toward the realization of a new government,” he said.

Stephen J. Urban, 37, of Wilkes-Barre, has worked in the information technology field and is currently employed at RCN Corp. He said he wants to end “bickering and arguing” and work on solutions to problems.

McGinley, 64, of Kingston, has worked as a Wilkes-Barre Area School District chemistry teacher and is administration director for the Commission on Economic Opportunity. He plans to retire from that position at the end of the year.

McGinley promised to communicate with the 10 other council members to build consensus.

He thanked his family, friends and supporters and said he was “thrilled” to win a seat.

“I’ll do my very best to provide the positive services that the citizens of the county deserve,” McGinley said.

Brominski, 72, a Democrat from Swoyersville, is a former county commissioner who also ran the county Assessor’s Office for nine years. He emphasized his experience in public service and said he wants to get the new government on solid footing.

“I’m looking forward to starting this new venture. Choosing an excellent manager will be the number one immediate top priority,” Brominski said.

Govern with ‘decency’

Haas, 36, of Wilkes-Barre, is a history teacher at Dallas Middle School who promised to govern with “decency.”

His campaign platform was to decrease debt, hire the best manager and make the county more efficient.

“I’m just so grateful to the voters across Luzerne County. I want to represent all the people,” he said.

Haas said the new council must “come together” and “really talk” to the people who work in county government and work with the transition committee to “formulate our new vision.”

Williams, 64, of Kingston, is an architect who started his own practice in Wilkes-Barre in 1983, now known as Williams, Kinsman & Lewis Architecture. He said he would research facts and vote his conscience on each issue based on his view of what’s best for the county as a whole.

“I’m excited and thrilled and honored to be elected to the council and look forward to working with my colleagues to change the way we govern ourselves,” Williams said.

He hopes his victory as the first Independent-registered county official will inspire others to run in the future.

Maddon Curry, 64, of Butler Township, is supervisor of library services for the Greater Hazleton Health Alliance. She told voters she will provide good government and won’t make political deals.

“I’m grateful to the people who voted for me, and I will work as hard as I can to bring a new beginning to everybody in the county,” she said. “We need a fresh new start. We can do great things.”

McClosky Houck, 53, of Kingston, is a Wyoming Valley West School District teacher and music and liturgy director at the Holy Family Parish in Luzerne. She has promised to be a “good public servant” and emphasized her ability to grasp complicated issues.

Kelleher, 67, of Dallas Township, is now retired and has worked as a high school math teacher and in the financial services industry. He said he wants to delve into county finances, saying “numbers don’t lie.”

“I’m very thankful to the people who voted for me and the many people who helped me. My job now is to be a public servant,” Kelleher said.

Government overhaul

Council members will be paid $8,000 annually and will choose the first county manager, who will oversee day-to-day operations.

The council will also implement policies and codes, make appointments to outside boards and authorities and approve the county budget, tax rate and union contracts.

For the winners, work will begin immediately because the new council will join the home rule transition committee, though no decisions made by this group are binding.

Actions involving the new government must be approved by council, and council members won’t have authority to make decisions until they are officially sworn in on Jan. 2.

The new council members must meet on Jan. 2 to appoint a permanent or temporary county manager and county council clerk, the home rule charter says.

About 70 people have applied for the position, and the applications are expected to be distributed to the transition committee next week.

The committee will expand from 11 to 19 members with the addition of the new council-elect.

“Win or lose, I’ve been blessed with great family and friends, and this campaign has reconnected me to a lot of people,” said Michael Lacey, a pharmacy owner from Franklin Township who ran on a Libertarian nomination.

Republican Kathleen M. Dobash, Hazleton, said she will continue to monitor county government.

The other contenders were: Republicans John Ruckno, Blythe Evans III, William “Bill” James, Joyce Dombroski-Gebhardt, Gina Nevenglosky and Michael Cabell; Democrats Jane Walsh-Waitkus, Michelle Bednar, Salvatore Licata and M. Theresa Morcavage; Independent Jeremy Packard; Libertarians Tim Mullen and Brian R. Bergman; and American Independent Charlie “Bible Buck” Hatchko.