Griffith

Griffith

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Walter Griffith said he’s receiving inquiries from Republicans interested in his Luzerne County Council seat now that unofficial general election results show he is the clear winner in the county controller race.

However, council cannot proceed with seeking applications until it receives Griffith’s resignation and declares the seat vacant.

Griffith said he won’t be turning in his council resignation until the end of the year.

“I can’t negate my elected duties as a councilman just because I was elected controller. We’re in the middle of the budget process,” Griffith said.

The newly elected controller and council members take office the first Monday of January, or Jan. 3, according to the county’s home rule charter.

Griffith said he believes several Republican council candidates who did not receive nominations in this year’s primary election should consider applying.

The four Republican primary contenders who did not secure primary nominations, along with their vote counts at that time: Ronald Knapp, 8,546; Carl Bienias III, 8,383; Michael Vacendak, 6,607; and Martin Dartoe, 5,444.

The county Republican Party’s executive board had only endorsed one of these four — Bienias — in the primary along with the five who ended up securing all five vacant council seats in last week’s general election based on unofficial results: John Lombardo, Chris Perry, Brian Thornton, Kevin Lescavage and Gregory Wolovich Jr.

The party’s executive board did not endorse Knapp, Vacendak or Dartoe.

County Republican Chairman Justin Behrens had said at the time the executive board decided to endorse because the party was “so fortunate to have a number of great Republicans.” While five nominations were open, the board opted to back six because it “felt that they were all highly qualified candidates who bring great ideas to the table,” he had said in a release.

“We would be proud to have any of them on Luzerne County Council and felt that the Republicans in Luzerne County could make their own decision in who, out of the six we have endorsed, would best represent them on council,” Behrens had said, calling on all party voters to choose from those endorsed.

Council replacement process

Under the charter, a council majority must fill council seats within 60 days after a vacancy is formally declared. The replacement must be a member of the same political party as the departing council member.

In prior vacancy appointments, council publicly interviewed applicants.

When prior Republican county councilman Eugene Kelleher resigned in 2019, a council majority had appointed previous councilman and home rule charter drafter Rick Morelli to fill his seat from August through the end of December that year. Morelli is now engaged in a different capacity, serving on the citizen manager search committee that will be seeking and recommending applicants for the top manager position to county council in 2022.

Three other Republicans had applied for the council seat in 2019 in addition to Morelli.

Griffith’s council replacement will serve longer because his unexpired council term runs through 2023.

Council filled a second vacancy in 2019. Patrick Bilbow had been appointed that February to fill a seat vacated by Democrat Edward Brominski, and Bilbow served through the end of 2019. Twelve applicants had been interviewed for that vacancy.

The council compensation is $8,000 per year, with duties that include approving the budget and larger contracts, appointing members to outside county boards, enacting codes and ordinances and evaluating the manager.

Council Chairman Tim McGinley will be the lone Democrat left on the 11-member county in January because county Councilman Robert Schnee had switched his registration from Democrat to Republican.

In addition to McGinley and Schnee, the five newly elected council members will serve with Republicans LeeAnn McDermott, Kendra Radle, Stephen J. Urban and the Republican who ends up replacing Griffith.

A new council chair also will be needed in January. McGinley had announced early this year and several times since that he wants someone else to take the post. He is midway through his four-year term and cannot run again due to the charter’s three-term limit.

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