47 apply for 3 home rule seats

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.comLuzerne County Reporter

Forty-seven people have applied for three unpaid citizen seats on Luzerne County’s home rule transition committee, including a pediatrician, ophthalmologist, two attorneys, a certified public accountant and numerous business professionals.

“The fact that so many people stepped forward, to me, is really an exiting thing and a sign that there’s a lot of people interested in improving our county,” said Christopher Kersey, a home rule charter drafter who will serve on the committee.

Selecting three will be difficult, though committee members expect to ask some applicants to serve on subcommittees down the road.

“I think we’re going to have a real challenge selecting, but it’s a good challenge when you have so many qualified candidates,” Kersey said.

The transition committee will help steward a smooth move to the new home rule government by drafting proposed codes and policies and starting the recruitment process for an appointed manager and other top positions.

The home rule government structure adopted by voters on Nov. 2 will take effect in January 2012, when the 11 new county council members elected in 2011 take office. However, the 11 newly elected council members will immediately join the transition committee after the November general election.

Five charter drafters and the three county commissioners sit on the transition committee, and those eight will choose the three citizen representatives.

Each committee member has been asked to narrow down the list of citizen applicants to 15 top choices and e-mail those lists to interim committee chairman Richard Heffron by midnight Thursday.

Heffron will chart the selections and send a list of the 15 who received the most selections to all committee members on Nov. 19. He will also contact these 15 applicants to schedule them for interviews before the eight committee members at a public meeting scheduled for Monday.

Each committee member must then e-mail Heffron a list of three chosen applicants.

Heffron said he will tally the results and provide a full report of the outcome to all committee members. The top three will be asked to attend the committee’s first meeting on Nov.30.

Here is some information about each applicant for the three citizen transition committee seats, based on their submissions or follow-up information obtained by a reporter:

• Peter Gagliardi, Wilkes-Barre, has a master’s degree in government and politics. He has 17 years of experience with the federal government, 20 years as a freelance writer and has held various customer-service and sales positions in private industry.

• Robert D. Seeley, Jackson Township, has a Ph.D. in economics and has been an associate professor of economics at Wilkes University since 1989. He was a member of the commission that drafted the proposed 2003 home rule charter.

• Betsy Summers, Wilkes-Barre, has an associate’s degree in animal science and has worked as territory manager for Midwest Veterinary Supply since 2005 and as manager of three rental properties since 1985. She was also a member of the commission that drafted the 2003 charter.

• Edward Chesnovitch, Jackson Township, has been an outspoken watchdog and served as treasurer of the Friends of Home Rule organization. He served on the township planning commission for 15 years and the Board of Auditors for four years.

• Michael Giamber, Ross Township, has a bachelor’s degree in business management and most recently worked as deputy chief of facilities and operations for the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., from 1999 through 2006. He served as chairman of Friends of Home Rule.

• Lisa Eggleston, M.D., Dallas, is a pediatrician at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre, a member of the Geisinger Northeast Ethics Committee and board member of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

• Charles E. Blewitt, Kingston, has an Ed.D. in counseling. He has been a practicing psychotherapist for 37 years and a part-time teacher for more than 25 years.

• Anne Straub Pelak, Kingston, has a master’s degree in education and educational computing and has been employed at Wilkes University for 11 years, most recently as director of grant support from 2004 to the present. She has served on the board of the League of Women Voters of Wilkes-Barre Area for 12 years.

• James A. DeMichele, Dallas, has a bachelor’s in speech communications and more than 23 years of experience in sales and marketing, most recently as account manager/media consultant for YellowBook in Wilkes-Barre from 2005 to the present.

• Dale Newman, Pittston Township, owns Quality Electric in Swoyersville, which has grown from a one-man operation out of his garage to a warehouse employing four.

• Eugene Kelleher, Dallas, has a master’s degree in mathematics, 35 years of experience as a secondary school math teacher, and is retired from Kelleher and Root Financial Services, which he founded.

• Kathy Grinaway, Plains Township, has a bachelor’s degree in medical technology and works as a laboratory supervisor for the Wyoming Valley Healthcare System.

• Susan Shoval, Kingston, has a bachelor’s degree in economics and was co-founder of GUARD Insurance Group. She is co-chair of the Luzerne County Diversity Commission and serves on other boards.

• Dennis McCartney, Wyoming, studied business and marketing in college and has more than 30 years of experience in sales and marketing management. He is an independent business consultant and was president at CBXMAN in Edwardsville.

• Casey Evans, Lehman Township, studied political science, is second district chairman for the Luzerne County Democratic Committee, was a staffer for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and has worked on others.

• Charles Hatchko, Jenkins Township, worked as a correctional officer in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for more than 16 years before retiring in 2006. He also has experience in union negotiations and in the trucking industry.

• Mary Ellen Petcavage, Bear Creek Township, has a master’s degree in human resources administration, has more than 20 years of experience in human resources and is currently vice president of human resources at Borton-Lawson in Wilkes-Barre.

• Stephen E. Sincavage, Courtdale, owns two small businesses and is an insurance broker.

• Brad G. Truitt, White Haven, has a bachelor’s degree in biology and more than 28 years of management experience in the consumer finance industry.

• Agapito Lopez, Hazleton, is an ophthalmologist and currently works in real estate and translation services. He serves on the Luzerne County Community College Board of Trustees and several other boards.

• Wilfrid E. Toole, Dupont, has worked in private sector management and was Pittston city’s clerk/administrator from 1989-97.

• George R. Shadie, Butler Township, has a bachelor’s degree in English, has 45 years of business experience and has worked as a financial services professional with New York Life Insurance Co. for 22 years.

• Bernard Walter, Harveys Lake, is an attorney, previously worked for nine years in the district attorney’s office of the city and county of San Francisco and founded the Elder Law Committee of the local Bar Association to assist the elderly.

• Caroline Raskiewicz, Larksville, has a doctor of nursing practice degree and has worked in the medical field since 1962, most recently working as program administrator at the Wyoming Valley Healthcare System/University of Scranton School of Nurse Anesthesia since 2005.

• Wayne Hussong, Wilkes-Barre, is currently in college to obtain an associate’s degree in criminal justice.

• Robert L. McDougal, Wilkes-Barre, has a bachelor’s degree in education and 30 years of business experience, including work as general manager of three Kmart stores. He is retired.

• Ralph Nardone, Pittston, has a master’s degree in business administration and works as a Times Leader newspaper correspondent.

• Joseph P. Gilroy, Dallas, has been a Realtor with Joseph P. Gilroy Real Estate in Kingston for 32 years.

• Reed J. Dunn Jr., Pittston, has a master’s degree in geography, and worked as director of the York County Planning Commission from 1965 through 2000.

• James Wesley Chester, Kingston Township, has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and worked as a regional director for the state Department of Environmental Resources from 1962 to 1986 before retiring.

• Richard A. Holodick, Wilkes-Barre, has a Ph.D. in administration and has five years of experience with the state corrections department and 20 years of management experience. He is semi-retired and works as a part-time consultant.

• Gary E. Booth, Harveys Lake, has a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering and has worked in sales and management since 1998, most recently as business development manager for Baltimore-based Constellation New Energy from 2009 to the present.

• Thomas Ksiezopolski, Exeter Township, has obtained municipal police and deputy sheriff certification and emergency medical services training. He has worked as a police officer in Exeter Township and West Pittston and is currently a deputy sheriff in Lackawanna County.

• Marcianna Hosier, West Pittston, has a master’s degree in organizational development with experience in grant writing, public affairs and business management. She is currently marketing director for a New York college.

• Scot Murphy, Mountain Top, has a master’s degree in health administration and bachelor’s degrees in business administration and accounting and has worked for St. Louis-based CHAN Healthcare Auditors since 2001, most recently as manager of computer-assisted audit techniques from 2004 to the present.

• Barry P. Finn, Swoyersville, worked as a television meteorologist for almost 25 years and later worked as a career school admissions director for seven years.

• John Pack, Hanover Township, has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and has 30 years of management and business development experience, most recently working as vice president of business development health care financing for Key Corp. from 2006 to the present.

• Rich Kramer, Kingston, has a bachelor’s degree in commerce and finance and is a certified public accountant. He has been principal of Tax Management Group in Kingston and also teaches college courses.

• James Bobeck, Kingston, is an attorney currently working as an administrative law judge for the state Bureau of Hearings and Appeals, as an associate with Saunders and Rooney P.C. in Plymouth and providing pro bono legal services for indigent clients.

• Victor Kopko, Hanover Township, has a doctorate in business administration and currently teaches college courses in communications, business and management part-time. He has owned and operated several businesses and has a pending lawsuit attempting to throw out the county’s 2009 reassessment.

• William M. Gagliardi, Ashley, has a bachelor’s degree in biology and has management experience, most recently as a supervisor with the U.S. Postal Service until December 2009. He recently passed a national certification exam for massage therapy.

• Raymond P. Gustave, West Wyoming, has a bachelor’s degree in biology and retired from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2007, after 37 years of employment with the federal government.

• Michael M. Stair, Mountain Top, has a bachelor’s degree in music and is currently self-employed working in performing arts and trading stocks.

• Rob Bakewell, Mountain Top, has a master’s degree in international relations and has been working at Cardinal Glass Industries in Mountain Top since 2005, most recently as operation support manager/project manager.

• Phyllis Brandwene, Kingston, is owner of Phyllis Brandwene Marketing Solutions and organized the successful movement to switch Kingston to a home rule government system.

• Christine Dixon, Pringle, has a bachelor’s degree in English and has worked for the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs since 2006, most recently as eastern outreach coordinator from 2008 to the present.

• David Yonki, Wilkes-Barre, has a bachelor’s degree in government, politics, communications and marketing, and currently works as a customer-service specialist for Vintage Tub & Bath and Gateway Energy.

• Rita M. Boyle, Mountain Top, also submitted an application volunteering to help research best practices but not to serve on the transition committee. She is a board member of the Ethics Institute of Northeastern Pennsylvania and a self-employed grant writer/planner.