Salavantis sees need for change in county

WILKES-BARRE – Stefanie Salavantis says she is running for Luzerne County district attorney for all the right reasons.

Stefanie Salavantis

Age: 29

Education: Temple University, bachelor’s degree in business management; Thomas Cooley Law School, juris doctor

Community affiliations: Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce; Luzerne County Young Republicans; Young Lawyers Division of the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association

Family: single; parents, Harry and Cletta Salavantis; four siblings

“I entered the race because I thought our area needed a change,” said Salavantis, 29, of Kingston Township. “The corruption (probe) put a black cloud over the area.”

Salavantis said it upset her when no one entered the race against incumbent Jackie Musto Carroll, who has already served four years as the county’s top prosecutor.

“A two-party system is healthy,” Salavantis said. “And I said if no one else is going to (run against Musto Carroll) then I’m going to do it.”

Salavantis said she’s not politically connected with a well-known name but has what it takes to serve as district attorney.

Two years out of law school, Salavantis works for an insurance defense firm and in her own practice.

She handles a variety of cases, including family, real estate and some criminal work, and said she is in and out of the courtroom on a daily basis, filing court papers and conducting depositions.

Salavantis said she might not have much experience in criminal law, she knows how to be an attorney and feels she can run the office efficiently.

If elected, Salavantis said she would like the District Attorney’s Office to have more of a presence in lower Luzerne County, particularly in the Hazleton area.

She would also like to see the office run more efficiently and would hear suggestions and concerns from current assistant district attorneys working in the office.

More bilingual employees would also be a plus, Salavantis said, as well as updating technology to be compatible with federal standards.

She slammed Musto Carroll for her “know-nothing” approach to the corruption in the county’s courtrooms and said her actions to remedy the situation were “too little, too late.”

The Kingston Township resident said one of the main reasons she is running is because Musto Carroll “didn’t do her job like she should have.”

Salavantis said she is knocking on doors and meeting as many voters as possible before the general election. She said she knew she was going to have to spend a great deal of money to get her name out there and has exceeded her original allotment of $150,000.

“My youth brings a fresh perspective,” she said. “I’m ready to hit the ground running and help (the county) regain respect and integrity.”