Luzerne County Government

Controller known by his first name has supporters, detractors

April 22, 2010

In county, ‘Walter’ means scrutiny

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
Jennifer Learn-Andes on Facebook   |   @TLJenLearnAndes on Twitter

The name Walter surfaces so often in Luzerne County government conversation these days, it’s no longer necessary to use a last name.

Sometimes the comments are positive, as in, “I love what Walter’s doing.”

Then there are the grumblings that Walter is making waves in a quest for media coverage.

The man himself – county Controller Walter Griffith – says he is delivering what voters wanted. The hold-their-feet-to-the-fire approach he’s taken in a few more than 100 days in office will be standard operating procedure, he said.

“People want accountability, and I’m identifying the problems that need to be addressed,” said the 55-year-old Wilkes-Barre resident. “If anyone thinks it’s grandstanding, they’re missing the whole point.”

Griffith said he usually arrives for work at his office in the county’s Penn Place building about 7:30 a.m., wrapping up around 6 p.m. Lunch is often a can of soda and jelly beans at his desk unless his wife of 10 years, the former Mary Jo Harrell, pesters him to eat the sandwich she packed him.

At least 50 payment requests hit his desk each day, and he reviews each one to determine if checks should be cut.

“My staff doesn’t pay a single bill unless I look at it,” he said.

He sends payment requests back to departments if the math doesn’t add up or if backup receipts, payroll records or other documentation are missing.

Payment is refused if there’s no publicly approved and valid contract, resolution, policy or vote authorizing an expense. Griffith then puts gray areas in the laps of county commissioners, giving them the option to act if they want to make him pay.

“They’re the policymakers. I’m the policy enforcer,” Griffith said. “My power is to identify the problem, and if they don’t want to address a situation, that’s their call.”

If they don’t act, Griffith must decide whether to refuse payment or pay anyway. He said he follows the letter of the law or governing policy, popular or not.

For example, he refused to release $5,200 in payments to records consultant LRW Solutions Group, also known as Little Red Wagon, because the company’s contract with the county didn’t contain spending caps and was never signed to become official and binding. Commissioners did not take any action since that refusal, so he hasn’t released the payment.

He also stopped extra payments for sheriff deputies who serve civil and mortgage foreclosure documents, saying such stipends were not authorized by the county salary board or union contract.

Griffith refused to pay an $18,200 bill for sheriff Taser guns because commissioners didn’t approve the purchase. The guns were later returned to the company that supplied the merchandise.

Taxpayers have been showering Griffith with praise at county commissioner meetings while other county officials are often pelted with criticism.

Harveys Lake property owner Michelle Boice is among those who have cheered Griffith at commissioner meetings.

“It’s amazing what he has been able to uncover in such a short time. I don’t know if anyone is keeping track, but some of the practices he has put into place are going to save our county huge sums of money,” Boice said.

“Walter takes a lot of heat from the county insiders, but the taxpayers are grateful to him and encourage him to keep up the good work,” she said. “If all row officers, their deputies and managers worked just half as hard as Walter, there would be no need to pay nearly a half million dollars for time clocks.”

Griffith had been a city taxpayer watchdog but set his sights on county spending in October 2008, when he volunteered with taxpayer Ed Chesnovitch – with no attorney representation – to challenge the county’s court filing to borrow $17 million to cover debt.

Their objections helped to convince former county judge Ann Lokuta to lower the county’s permissible borrowing to $5.3 million.

“I discovered that 90 percent of the county’s request to borrow was mismanagement – not an emergency,” Griffith said.

His decision to volunteer in court that day meant that Griffith missed his daughter Samantha’s white coat ceremony for her pharmacy degree, but Griffith said he doesn’t regret making sacrifices for taxpayers. He has three other adult children – Sheila, Bethany and Bryan.

While most of his feedback from the public is supportive, Griffith has already attracted detractors, such as politically powerful municipal tax collectors. Griffith stopped $4 payments to tax collectors for each uncollected bill, saying the additional payment wasn’t authorized in the commissioners’ resolution governing the tax collectors’ pay.

County van drivers recently instructed their riders to call his office to complain because he held up overtime pay for part-timers. Griffith agreed to release the overtime when the county salary board switched specifications on their pay.

“He’s made some people angry, such as tax collectors, but that’s to be expected as he grows into the job,” said county minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban, a fellow Republican who supports Griffith’s approach.

“He scrutinizes all payments. He’s in the office every day like he said he would be. I think the public is happy with him,” Urban said.

Though it’s been suggested to him, Griffith said he will not run for commissioner next year, saying he promised the taxpayers to complete a four-year controller term. He also opposes a proposed home rule charter that will likely be on the November ballot, in large part because the charter would strip the controller’s power to stop checks from being issued.

Griffith has been like the Energizer bunny of county scrutiny, demanding access to reports on payroll requests, county fuel cards, accrued vacation and sick leave and cell phones. He praised his staff for rising to the challenge.

“Am I going to miss stuff? I’m human, but I’m doing the best I can,” he said.

He paused to pick up the phone, assisting a citizen looking for election information. The caller offered praise when he realized it was that Walter on the other end of the line.

As he chatted with the caller, Griffith’s gaze fixed on a wooden plaque hanging by his desk, a gift from a supporter, which reads “Illegitimi non Carborundum.”

The common, non-profane, translation: “Don’t let them grind you down.”

Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.

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