Luzerne County Judges

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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Luzerne County Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla told the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice on Tuesday that former county Judge Michael Conahan personally called her in early 2008 to order her not to replace former chief clerk/manager Sam Guesto.

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Luzerne County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla answers questions from Ronald Williams during the public hearings of the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice at the Best Western East Mountain Inn in Plains Township on Tuesday afternoon.

S. John Wilkin/The Times Leader

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Luzerne County Commissioner Steven Urban answers questions during the public hearings of the Interbranch Commission of Juvenile Justice in Plains Township on Tuesday afternoon.

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Petrilla said Conahan had initially asked political supporters to call her on his behalf on New Year’s Eve weekend, indicating that he wanted her to reconsider Guesto’s replacement.

She told these more than 40 callers that she was not changing her mind, which resulted in an unfriendly call from Conahan telling her she “could not replace” Guesto.

“His final words to me were, ‘Maryanne, if you do this, you’re finished,’ ” Petrilla said.

Guesto was county chief clerk/manager from 2004 through February 2008 and then took a job in the county court system that critics said was created for him. He was furloughed from that job in February, after Conahan and former President Judge Mark Ciavarella had pleaded guilty to accepting $2.6 million in improper payments in exchange for actions that benefited two privately owned juvenile detention centers. An indictment was filed against the former judges after they withdrew their guilty pleas on Aug. 24.

County minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban came out with a bombshell of his own Tuesday, telling the commission that he had met with the FBI in 2006 to discuss his concerns about county juvenile issues, including the county’s controversial lease of the Pittston Township detention center involved in the charges against Conahan and Ciavarella.

Urban said he also met with the Internal Revenue Service around that time.

Among the topics discussed with the FBI were two complaints he received from parents about their children being lodged in detention – one for a curfew violation and the other for throwing lunchmeat at someone, he said.

“I started speaking to them (FBI) and explaining to them what was going on in the county,” Urban said.

Urban said former county Controller Steve Flood, who also publicly opposed the county’s $58 million, 20-year lease of the detention center, also met with federal authorities.

A commission member questioned why Urban did not take his complaints to the Judicial Conduct Board or the county District Attorney’s Office.

Urban said he didn’t have faith in the Judicial Conduct Board because he believed it was a “good-old-boy network” that protected judges. He said he didn’t “trust” the District Attorney’s Office because of all the “nepotism and family affairs that take place in the county courthouse.”

Urban, who has been a commissioner since 2000, said he “felt comfortable” approaching federal authorities.

Urban and Petrilla testified that they received no complaints or concerns about the juvenile justice system from court or county employees. They both described nepotism as high in the court system.

Petrilla said employees hired by the “wrongdoers” kept quiet.

“The courts hired family and friends, and as a result of the hiring of family and friends, those people who may have seen wrongdoing remained silent,” Petrilla said.

She said she received two complaints from friends about the juvenile justice system, and she advised them both to speak to authorities.

Commission members asked both commissioners what could be done to improve juvenile justice.

Urban said the state must “live up to its responsibility” to fund the courts, because county property owners pick up the lion’s share of the tab. He also believes the state Supreme Court needs to provide more direct supervision of county court.

Petrilla said she believes a system is needed to require courts to funnel purchasing and hiring through a central county office. Before Chester Muroski became president judge earlier this year, the court system refused to comply with county bidding requirements, she said.

County president judges have the power to issue court orders to hire anyone they want for court positions without any advance public notice or public vote, Urban said.

Commissioner Chairman John M. Cleland told Petrilla that previous testimony has left him with two conflicting messages.

Some say problems in the county’s juvenile justice system were unknown, while others say many people knew about these problems, he said. He asked what could have been done to people to take “affirmative action.”

Petrilla cited an example in which she and other county officials stood up to Ciavarella over his refusal to cut the 2009 court budget. Ciavarella filed a lawsuit, but the other judges withdrew the suit and instituted the cuts after Ciavarella left.

“I’m quite proud of the fact that we just remained steadfast and did not back down,” Petrilla said.

She also reminded the commission that she did not budge when Conahan tried to “strong-arm” her into keeping Guesto.

Cleland said some have suggested that the “culture of corruption” can’t be fixed because it’s too “deeply ingrained” in the county, but Petrilla said she disagrees.

“As I said many times, this will never be tolerated again,” Petrilla said.