Luzerne County Election Board schedules special meeting to select chair

Luzerne County’s Election Board plans to select its fifth member/chair person at a special meeting next Wednesday.

Three citizens applied for the chairmanship seat and will be publicly interviewed during next week’s virtual session.

While county council appoints two Democrats and two Republicans to the board, those four decide who fills the chair seat under the county’s home rule charter.

Board members agreed Wednesday to hold a special meeting instead of waiting until the next regularly scheduled session on April 14.

There is urgency for the reorganized board to select a chair because the charter sets a 60-day deadline after the seat was declared vacant. After 60 days, a citizen can petition the county court to fill the vacancy.

County Chief Solicitor Romilda Crocamo told the board that clock started ticking on Feb. 23, when council accepted the resignation of prior board chairwoman Jeanette Tait.

Councilman Stephen J. Urban was briefly named chair after Tait, but Crocamo said his appointment was not recognized as legitimate by council because council members can’t serve on the election board under the charter. Council vacated the seats of the two election board members who appointed Urban chair — Joyce Dombroski-Gebhardt and Keith Gould.

The four current election board members — Richard Nardone, Kathryn Roth, Audrey Serniak and Missy Thomas — will receive copies of the chair applicants resumes before next week’s special meeting, Crocamo said.

The special meeting will start at 5 p.m.

A link to attend will be posted on council’s authorities/boards/commission online meeting section at luzernecounty.org.