Luzerne County’s Manager Search Committee advances plans

Luzerne County’s Manager Search Committee painstakingly revised a job description and made other plans to find the county’s next top manager Thursday.

Committee Chairman Chris Hackett said the job description will be used as a guide to help assess applicants.

Among the many position duties repeated from the prior manager search, the committee added media relations.

Hackett said he views communicating with the media as a crucial duty, and the other committee members agreed.

Committee member Brian D. O’Donnell said he would expect the manager to be skilled at articulating, defending and promoting county matters.

The committee also debated a mix of tools it may deploy to advertise the position, including newspapers and online sites.

Committee member Rick Morelli also suggested the committee consider a headhunting company to seek out prospective, qualified applicants and supplement the committee’s efforts.

Committee member Alec Ryncavage said he supports the concept if there is an affordable option specializing in government jobs.

Hackett said headhunters typically charge 30% of the salary. County council has not yet approved a salary range for the position.

Ryncavage said he does not believe a headhunter would be worth it at that amount.

O’Donnell said the expense would be a waste if the committee does not agree with the headhunter’s recommendation.

Morelli said some headhunters may be willing to work on a contingency basis and paid only if their recommendation is accepted. He said he will explore such options for discussion at its next meeting Oct. 21.

While county council hires the manager, the county’s home rule charter requires the outside committee to “recommend the candidates it believes are the most qualified” to council.

Under its tentative timeline, the committee wants to advertise for approximately six weeks and start reviewing resumes in early December.

Committee members set an early February target date to present a list of finalists to council, although they agreed to keep the schedule flexible based on their satisfaction with the applicant pool.

Committee members Sherri Homanko and Patrick Patte also were in attendance Thursday. Committee member Ray Wendolowski was absent.