Luzerne County Government

August 10, 2010

It’s decision time for home rule panel

KALEN CHURCHER Times Leader Correspondent

Members of the Luzerne County Government Study Commission will vote tonight on whether to send their proposed home rule charter to the voters in November or to quash months of work in favor of keeping the current three-commissioner form of county government.
Although the 11 study commissioners have disagreed on sections of the charter from time to time, members are confident the draft charter will receive enough yes-votes to place it on this fall’s ballot.
In fact, Charmaine Maynard, commission secretary, said Tuesday she will likely be the only person not voting for the charter. Maynard, who has missed several weeks of meetings dues to illness, will not be present at tonight’s meeting. She plans to make a statement and vote via telephone.
“I’m getting crucified, but I’m not going to vote for it,” Maynard said. “I think home rule for Luzerne County would’ve been great, but not this charter. I think we blew it. I don’t think the charter as we wrote it will be better for Luzerne County.”
As written, the home rule charter calls for an 11-person, elected, part-time county council and an appointed county manager. The charter also eliminates the elected positions of coroner, register of wills, prothonotary, sheriff, recorder of deeds, treasurer, and two jury commissioners. District attorney and controller positions remain elected.
Maynard disagrees with the at-large council and appointed county manager. She supports a smaller county council that is chosen by districts, as well as minority party representation. She also opposes changes made to the county controller position that eliminates the controller’s ability to stop payment on checks.
“I’m starting to think that maybe it’s not our government that’s broken in Luzerne County, but maybe the people need to pay more attention to who they’re voting for,” Maynard said.
Commission Treasurer Rick Morelli, who shared some of Maynard’s concerns throughout the study process, said there are pros and cons to everything.
He will vote to support the charter and continue to educate the public about home rule.
 “Although there are things in this charter that I would not have put in, it’s much better than anything we have in this county,” he said. “If people do not support the charter, the people would be voting for, would be satisfied with, corruption.
“Eight years ago, the public had the opportunity to make a change. They voted for better people and those better people are now going to jail.”
Tonight’s meeting will begin with a public comment session, said Commission Chairman Jim Haggerty. Commission members will also have an opportunity to address the audience before casting their votes. Comments have been limited to five minutes.
“The charter that we will recommend (tonight) will set forth a government that is vastly superior to what currently exists in the current county government,” Haggerty said.
He added it is extremely difficult to not find the current organizational structure of county government responsible for some of the county’s problems. Offering an alternative format is not only appropriate, but necessary, he said, adding, though, even he does not agree with everything in the charter.
Though he would not speculate on how individual committee members planned to vote, he said the charter will be on November’s ballot, indicating majority support.
Tonight’s vote does not signal the end of the group’s work. The commission still has an obligation to educate the public. The group was allocated $89,400 by the county.
Thus far, it has spent $46,810 and members expect to spend about $37,000 on educational costs, Morelli said.
“We have an obligation to get this information out to the public, Morelli said. “We have to be able to explain to the public what this is all about.
“The commissioners are obviously not going to support this,” he continued. “We’re not expecting them to come out and endorse this, but we are expecting them to not undercut the process.”

 

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