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Secretary Clint Duesler says people just assume he applied. Some county workers did apply.
Luzerne County President Judge Chester Muroski’s secretary, Sean Duesler, wants to make it clear that he did not apply for the court’s highest-ranking job.
Duesler said people keep approaching him with the mistaken impression that he is one of the 39 applicants for court administrator, some going as far as to imply that he has an inside track.
“I can assure you, I did not – contrary to popular misconception – apply for the job,” Duesler said. “I have people asking me all the time.”
Several other county employees acknowledged that they have applied for the position: Human Services fiscal officer Mary Dysleski, who is also former county recorder of deeds; Acting County Controller A.J. Martinelli; Deputy Court Administrator Jack Mulroy; and county Juvenile Custody Court Master Michael Shucosky.
Clerk of Courts Bob Reilly is also said to be an applicant, but he would not confirm that.
Deputy Court Administrator P.J. Adonizio said he did not apply.
The position has been vacant since William Sharkey was terminated on Feb. 24, days after he pleaded guilty to stealing $70,000 in illegal gambling proceeds.
Muroski said the judges will discuss the selection process next week with Joseph Mittleman, judicial programs director for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. The AOPC must be involved because the court administrator is among several county court positions fully funded by the state.
“We’ll meet with Mr. Mittleman, and hopefully we’ll be able to pare the list down to a reasonable number of people we’d like to interview,” Muroski said.
Muroski said all judges will participate in the interviews and selection. He is personally looking for someone with administrative skills and experience working in the legal system.
“The applicants come from a variety of walks of life, but some have no experience in the legal system,” he said.
The administrator oversees the management of cases, personnel and budgets for several court branches and serves as a liaison with non-court county officials and the AOPC.
The minimum qualification was five years of experience in court management or eight years of professional experience managing a large public or private organization.
The state hasn’t determined the salary, but the published range was $57,283 to $76,377.
County judges will recommend a chosen candidate to the AOPC. The state’s court administrator must approve the chosen candidate, and the state’s chief justice also will sign off on the appointment.