Luzerne County Courthouse
                                 File photo

Luzerne County Courthouse

File photo

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Luzerne County Council has three choices Tuesday to fill a vacant Republican seat on the county Election Board.

Butler Township resident Patrick Castellani participated in a public interview Monday that is necessary to be eligible for appointment.

Meanwhile, prior applicant Lynn Bartz, of Dallas, has been deemed ineligible because she has been a paid poll worker, said Council Vice Chairman Chris Perry, who oversees the Authorities, Boards and Commissions Committee that screens applicants for outside boards.

Due to county home rule charter prohibitions, the county law office had previously concluded citizens were not eligible for board appointment if they had been paid by the county to work at polling places.

Council is set to fill the unpaid board seat at its meeting Tuesday night.

Two other Republicans remain on council’s eligibility list for possible appointment to the board: Candice Chilek, of West Pittston, and Alyssa Fusaro, of Luzerne.

During their interviews in March, Fusaro said she was a medical courier and previously a branch manager for a major insurance company, while Chilek said she is a homemaker who also has worked in administrative support, as a teacher at a private school and as a restaurant owner/operator.

Castellani said during his interview Monday he is a lifelong county resident with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from King’s College. He has worked in the accounting field and most recently held various positions at Marywood University, including controller and interim vice president of business affairs.

Perry asked Castellani why he is interested in serving on the election board, which oversees elections, makes determinations on flagged ballots and write-in votes and certifies election results.

“I believe we all have a civic duty to participate,” Castellani said, adding that he now has more time because he has retired.

Castellani said he is able to attend night board meetings and participate in the lengthy, daytime adjudication process, which can stretch to two weeks after both the primary and general elections.

He also said he would follow state election laws and guidance and examine facts before reaching decisions. Castellani said he became well-versed in laws and regulations involving federal funding as controller at Marywood and believes that work provided a good background to interpret complicated requirements related to elections.

Another Republican had listed the election board among appointments he is seeking but realized he would be ineligible because he had not been registered as a Republican for five years as required by the charter, Perry said.

A Republican board seat is open because Missy Thomas resigned late last month due to other commitments.

Under the county’s home rule charter, the board must have four council-appointed members (two Republicans and two Democrats), with those four then selecting a chair of any affiliation.

Council had appointed Democrat Kathryn Roth and Republicans Thomas and Richard Nardone to the board in March, when it was down to one member — Democrat Audrey Serniak — due to removals related to a charter prohibition and resignations. The following month, those four unanimously selected Williams, a Democrat, as the fifth member/chair.

Nardone, the board’s vice chairman, also completed an interview Monday required for reappointment to the board when his seat expires the end of this year.

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