Crocamo

Crocamo

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Luzerne County Chief Solicitor Romilda Crocamo will oversee the county as acting manager until a permanent manager is selected, a county council majority decided Tuesday evening.

A temporary appointee is necessary because county Manager C. David Pedri is resigning July 6.

Six council members supported Crocamo’s appointment: Tim McGinley, Chris Perry, Kendra Radle, Sheila Saidman, Robert Schnee and Matthew Vough.

The remaining five voting against the appointment: Walter Griffith, Harry Haas, Linda McClosky Houck, LeeAnn McDermott and Stephen J. Urban.

Griffith said he would have preferred Conflict Counsel Attorney Administrator John Hakim, who also interviewed. McClosky Houck and McDermott said they believe appointing Crocamo would create a void in the law division, which also is critically important.

Crocamo was hired to oversee the county’s law division in July 2016.

She has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in addition to a law degree and master’s of law degree. Crocamo has worked at two New York City law firms, was managing attorney at the Barbara J. Hart Justice Center in Scranton, has served as a master of county juvenile delinquency and dependency court and was a law clerk for county Court of Common Pleas Judge Tina Polachek Gartley at the time Crocamo was promoted to division head.

Seven county government employees had applied for the acting manager position and were interviewed last week in a closed-door executive session.

Hakim was hired to oversee the conflict counsel office in March 2014. He has been a practicing attorney in the county for nearly 27 years and had a private practice for 19 years. He also previously worked as a part-time county assistant public defender, leaving that position in 2005. He is currently in the process of obtaining an MBA.

The other applicants: Administrative Services Division Head David Parsnik, Conflict Counsel Attorney Joanna Bryn Smith, Budget/Finance Division Head Brian Swetz, budget/finance senior accountant AJ Evanoski and Children and Youth caseworker Michael Vergaretti.

The acting manager must perform the same duties of the permanent manager, overseeing day-to-day operations and budgets in more than 50 departments, approving many contracts and hiring and firing workers in most departments, excluding court branches and the controller and district attorney offices.

Crocamo’s assignment as temporary overseer may stretch over half a year and through the 2022 budget season because council isn’t projected to complete the permanent manager selection process until November or December.

Tuesday’s meeting was Pedri’s last before he departs for a position overseeing the Luzerne Foundation.

See Wednesday’s Times Leader for more on this story.

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