CPA makes it 5 in controller race

By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.comStaff Writer

A fifth candidate has entered the race for Luzerne County controller.

“Disheartened by the inappropriate behavior recently uncovered within our local government,” Alice B. Coffman, a certified public accountant from Conyngham, said Tuesday in a press release that she will seek the Republican nomination for the vacant seat in the May primary.

“The citizens of Luzerne County have the right to expect the highest level of professional conduct from their elected officials. Holding one another accountable comes partly from a system with checks and balances. The weaknesses in the current accounting and internal control systems are quite evident,” Coffman said.

Coffman said she intends to immediately audit various county programs if elected. She would seek out “inefficiencies and discrepancies” and “implement and enforce internal control procedures to deter future misconduct and wasteful spending,” she said.

A magna cum laude graduate who majored in accounting and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University, Coffman has been self-employed at Coffman & Associates, in Conyngham, since July 1996, specializing in small business and individual accounting and tax matters.

She also worked for Parente Randolph in Hazleton as auditor of financial statements for profit and nonprofit entities and pension funds; and for Deloitte & Touche, Fogelsville, as auditor of financial statements for profit entities and the Pennsylvania State University system.

Coffman also served as auditor for the Luzerne County Children’s Home and United Charities in West Hazleton.

So far, three others have entered the race for the Republican nod – Dallas attorney Nanda Palissery, former county commissioner Edward Brominski and business owner Walter Griffith.

Bob Morgan, a financial advisor from Fairview Township, announced Thursday that he will run for controller on the Democratic ticket. Democrat Anthony Rostock of Yatesville has also said he plans to run.

The county controller seat has been vacant since Maryanne Petrilla became a commissioner last year. A.J. Martinelli is serving as acting controller.