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Top-ranking court post in county has been unfilled since last administrator was fired amid scandal in February.
Sharkey
Advertisements for Luzerne County’s highest-ranking court job drew 39 applicants.
The position – court administrator – has been vacant since William Sharkey was terminated on Feb. 24, days after he pleaded guilty to stealing $70,000 in illegal gambling proceeds.
County judges and the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) will meet in a week or so to determine how many applicants will be interviewed, said AOPC spokesman Art Heinz.
The AOPC must be involved because the court administrator is among several county court positions fully funded by the state.
Once interviews are complete, county judges will recommend a chosen candidate to the AOPC. The state’s court administrator must approve the chosen candidate, Heinz said. The state’s chief justice also will sign off on the appointment, he said.
Applications were sent to the AOPC in Harrisburg, which screened them to make sure they were complete, Heinz said. The AOPC has since forwarded the resumes to county judges.
At least two of the applications are from out of state, Heinz said.
With the cooperation of the county, the AOPC advertised the position within the county, on the AOPC Web site, through PA CareerLink and in regional newspapers and specialty publications that target lawyers and court managers, he said.
“We considered this to be a national search,” Heinz said.
Court deputy administrators Jack Mulroy and Peter J. Adonizio have been covering Sharkey’s duties since Sharkey went on medical leave in August 2008, shortly after federal agents served subpoenas on his office.
County judges agreed in July to ask the AOPC to advertise the position.
The salary has not been determined and may be based on the work experience of the candidates. Sharkey was paid $97,050 when he was terminated.