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CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER
Wayne Wolfe was largely motivated to run for Luzerne County Council because of his experience as an elected Plymouth Township auditor.
He worked with elected officials who turned around an inherited financial mess, reducing the township’s debt from $1 million to about $250,000. These officials “changed the culture” of the municipality, he said.
“I have seen personally what a group of individuals can do,” said the lifelong township resident. “I know what can happen when people get together and focus on doing the right thing.”
He was also inspired by the voters’ approval of a switch to home rule government, which he supported.
“I think that the people of Luzerne County very strongly and very clearly set a new agenda for this county. I think that this is a unique opportunity for a group of people to step forward to carry their new agenda forward and make the decisions that need to be made to do right by all of the citizens,” Wolfe said.
Wolfe said he views the council seat as an extension of his commitment to community service. In addition to his public outreach work as staffing and volunteer services director for the local American Red Cross Wyoming Valley Chapter, he serves on the Luzerne County Children and Youth Advisory Board and is active with the county’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
He is also on an allocation committee for the United Way of Wyoming Valley, a King’s College health services program advisory board and serves as moderator for the governing body of Presbyterian churches in the region.
Wolfe said he would commit to conducting county business in the open, treating everyone fairly and remaining loyal to county taxpayers and residents.
The voters he approached with his nomination petition, without fail, paused in the midst of writing down their information to tell him that he must represent them.
“It’s their county, and they’re looking for loyal people to serve them and do the best they can. That’s what I’ll try to do,” Wolfe said.
Wolfe has worked in human resources for at least five years and said he would want the new county manager to have three to five years of experience in managing a governmental organization about the size of Luzerne County.
“I think a track record speaks for itself. Someone who has actually been effective will in my view gather a lot of support for the kind of work that needs to be done,” Wolfe said.
He said he’s eager to analyze the county budget but wants to hold off on discussing specifics about what should be changed, saying he doesn’t want to prejudge situations when he’s not privy to all the information.
“I would be very surprised if I or anyone else could come forward at this point with very specific recommendations,” Wolfe said. “If elected, the group has to take up the work that the transition committee has already started and then take an inside look at what is going on in the county.”
Wayne Wolfe
Age: 45
Political party: Democrat
Residence: Plymouth Township
Education: Bachelor’s degree in a double major of government and theology from King’s College; continued education post-graduate in accounting; master’s of business administration from Wilkes University; certificate in executive leadership in health service administration from King’s.
Work experience: 1987-1991, Northeastern Bank of Pennsylvania (now PNC); 1991-present, director of staffing and volunteer services at the American Red Cross in Wilkes-Barre.
Family: Single