County charter questions go live

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

JENKINS TWP. – Advocates and opponents of the proposed Luzerne County home rule charter were peppered with questions on live television for an hour Thursday night at the WVIA-TV studio.

About 50 people who are for or against the charter – or still on the fence – attended the forum, called “Home Rule: Winners and Losers.”

Questions from the audience and callers were directed to charter drafters and supporters James Haggerty and Rick Morelli and charter critics county Chief Solicitor Vito DeLuca and county Controller Walter Griffith.

Several questions centered on the appointed manager who would run day-to-day county business under home rule.

The charter, which will be on the Nov. 2 ballot, would replace the three full-time elected commissioners with a manager and 11 part-time elected council members.

DeLuca said he wants voters to choose the manager because he doesn’t want to trust council members to pick someone “super qualified” and “super ethical.” Voters shouldn’t be “punished” because they’ve made mistakes selecting county officials in the past, he said.

Morelli said he originally supported an elected executive but changed his mind after someone pointed out that former county Commissioner Greg Skrepenak, the top vote-getter in the 2003 commissioner race, would have likely been elected county executive if the previous proposed charter had passed that year.

Voters rejected proposed 1974 and 2003 home rule charters that called for elected county executives, he noted. The charter contains minimum education and experience requirements for the manager, Morelli said.

Charter drafters didn’t want an elected executive who would have to campaign and raise funds to get elected, Haggerty said, rattling off names of past top political campaign donors.

Griffith said the manager would work “in a vacuum” because many decisions about hiring and purchasing would not require public council approval. DeLuca said the manager will make decisions “behind closed doors” – decisions that now require a public vote by the three commissioners.

Haggerty said the manager must comply with personnel, purchasing and ethics codes, and the selected person must attend council meetings. The charter requires evening meetings so the public may “get more involved” in county government.

The size of the council was also questioned.

Morelli said he originally wanted seven council members but agreed with 11 because it would provide more public representation. A larger council also means more votes are required to get rid of the manager, and Morelli said he didn’t want to make it easier for a future council to get rid of a manager for political reasons.

Haggerty said 11 council members will provide more “eyes on things,” and he reminded the audience that only two commissioner votes were required to approve a controversial $58 million county lease of a Pittston Township juvenile detention center that was linked to the public corruption scandal.

But Griffith said county government is complicated, and he questioned how knowledgeable and involved council members will be if they are paid $8,000 a year to be part-time overseers.

Audience member Michelle Boice took issue with statements that gave the impression that charter opponents are endorsing past corruption and other problems in county government under the current system.

“I resent being told that if I’m against the charter, I favor corruption. That’s absolutely ludicrous,” she said, pointing out that two county commissioners in neighboring home rule Lackawanna County were indicted.