Pedri

Pedri

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<p>McGinley</p>

McGinley

The four sitting Luzerne County Council members who served when C. David Pedri was hired in May 2016 had mixed reactions to his resignation Friday to accept a position at the Luzerne Foundation.

Council Chairman Tim McGinley offered positive feedback about Pedri’s tenure.

“He has provided very dedicated and honest service during his time,” McGinley said, noting Pedri had been county chief solicitor and previously worked in the district attorney’s office before becoming manager five years ago.

“I’d like to thank him for his years of service. We wish him well in his future endeavors and certainly will miss all his efforts in Luzerne County,” he said.

Councilman Harry Haas had a different take.

Haas said he gave Pedri the benefit of the doubt and was satisfied with some aspects of his performance but believes politics and personal agendas crept into the administration too much.

“As the years have gone by, I’ve become more displeased with the direction of the county, especially this last year,” Haas said.

Councilman Robert Schnee said he is sorry to see Pedri leave and his departure is a “tremendous loss” to the county.

“That is the best vote I ever made in my political career, voting for him as manager,” Schnee said.

Schnee said Pedri boosted the morale of employees, which he said was at an “all time low” when Pedri assumed the position. Pedri worked with council to restore the courthouse, pay off debt, secure a credit rating and help attract major development projects, he added.

Pedri had to oversee 1,500 employees and operations in diverse departments that include Children and Youth, corrections, road and bridge and 911, Schnee said.

“It’s a tremendously hard job, and I think every decision Mr. Pedri made was 100% what he thought in his heart was right,” Schnee said.

Unlike those three, Councilwoman Linda McClosky Houck did not support Pedri’s hiring to the position in 2016.

Her take on his departure was measured.

“Under home rule, we made great strides with the first manager, Robert Lawton, and Mr. Pedri has seen us through several years since then with many stressors, including the pandemic,” McClosky Houck said.

“I appreciate the service he’s given to the county as well as the fact that he’s given us ample notice so we can move forward with a plan to find a new well-qualified manager as soon as possible,” she said.

The remaining council members were not in office when Pedri was hired.

Council members Stephen J. Urban and Walter Griffith swiftly reacted to Pedri’s departure, saying he should be ejected.

Urban drafted a proposed resolution for council consideration at its meeting Tuesday to terminate Pedri for “failure to perform his duties.” His resolution argues Pedri did not provide adequate “oversight and direction” in the May 18 primary election because there were “significant mistakes” that disenfranchised county voters.

Griffith said council should immediately remove Pedri from service as county manager and cut off his access to county facilities.

“The county council can decide if we would like to pay the gentleman until July 6, but the county manager cannot and should not have access to any county resources based on the fact that he is resigning,” Griffith wrote. “I certainly appreciate Mr. Pedri’s service to the county but feel it is inappropriate for the county manager to be allowed to sit in that position of authority of the executive branch for two months pending his official resignation date.”

McClosky Houck said she does not support termination. Having Pedri on board will “ease the transition” to an interim manager while council begins the search process, she added.

McGinley and Schnee also were against the termination attempt, and a quick survey of other council members indicates that the move is unlikely to pass.

Haas said he is open to considering Pedri’s termination due to ongoing issues with elections but said he would first need to hear all the facts.

Council is expected to hold an executive session before Tuesday’s meeting to discuss personnel matters related to Pedri’s departure.

Next steps

The manager search and selection process took six months after prior manager Lawton had submitted his resignation the end of November 2015.

Council began by publicly interviewing citizens interested in serving on a search committee and then picked five people.

Required by the charter, the committee must seek, screen and conduct initial interviews of manager applicants before recommending finalists to council for its consideration.

Next, council interviewed employees interested in serving as interim manager during the search process, which led to Pedri’s interim appointment. Three other employees had expressed an interest at that time.

The citizen search committee received 14 applications for the position. After the committee wrapped up its work, council interviewed two finalists — a third withdrew — and selected Pedri.

At least seven of the 11 council members — a majority plus one — must approve the manager for the hiring to take effect, according to the charter.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.