Exeter resident James F. Mangan Jr. paused inside the Luzerne County Courthouse Tuesday after council appointed him to fill a vacant Republican seat on the county election board.
                                 Jennifer Learn-Andes | Times Leader

Exeter resident James F. Mangan Jr. paused inside the Luzerne County Courthouse Tuesday after council appointed him to fill a vacant Republican seat on the county election board.

Jennifer Learn-Andes | Times Leader

Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

Exeter resident James F. Mangan Jr. will fill a vacant Republican seat on Luzerne County’s Election Board, county council decided Tuesday.

In a public interview the prior evening, Mangan said he wants to increase public confidence in voting, saying he has encountered a growing number of people disillusioned and no longer participating in the important right.

Mangan, who has an extensive corporate sales career, also said he would ensure all laws are followed, whether or not he personally agrees with those laws.

Following his appointment Tuesday, Mangan thanked council members and said he looks forward to working with other election board members to ensure voter integrity throughout the county.

Two rounds of voting were necessary for Mangan’s appointment.

Initially, no applicant secured the six required votes.

Five chose Mangan: Brian Thornton, Stephen J. Urban, Gregory Wolovich Jr., Carl Bienias III and Kevin Lescavage.

The remaining four selected prior election board member Richard Nardone: LeeAnn McDermott, Tim McGinley, Chris Perry and Kendra Radle.

Council Vice Chairman John Lombardo was absent, and the remaining council seat vacated by Robert Schnee has not yet been filled.

Radle, the council chair, suggested council “give it one more shot” with another roll call, which resulted in all nine supporting Mangan.

McGinley said he believes both Nardone and Mangan are “very good candidates” and changed his vote in the interest of restoring the board’s full membership.

The volunteer five-citizen board oversees elections, makes determinations on flagged ballots and write-in votes and certifies election results.

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. Democrat Denise Williams is chair and serves with council-appointed Democrats Audrey Serniak and Danny Schramm and Republican Alyssa Fusaro.

A Republican seat was open because Patrick Castellani resigned in March. Mangan’s term will expire at the end of 2023.

Council also appointed Todd Hastings to a vacant seat on the 15-member Luzerne County Community College Board of Trustees.

The six council members supporting his appointment: Bienias, Lescavage, McDermott, Thornton, Urban and Wolovich. Council members Radle, Perry and McGinley had voted for the appointment of Joseph Long.

Council vacancy

Radle announced council will be filling Schnee’s vacant seat with a Republican and said interested citizens must submit applications by 4:30 p.m. on May 24.

The appointee will serve through 2023.

Schnee was elected as a Democrat in 2019 but subsequently changed his registration to Republican. County Interim Chief Solicitor Harry W. Skene had reviewed the charter and concluded Schnee’s replacement must be a Republican dating back to November 2019, when Schnee was elected.

Prospective appointees also must be over 18 and have lived in the county for at least one year.

The person appointed cannot hold any other elective public office or a seat on any county board, authority or commission. Also prohibited is employment with or compensation from any contractor of the county or its boards, authorities and commissions.

Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume to Council Clerk Sharon Lawrence at [email protected] or to 200 N. River St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711.

A statement of financial interest also must be submitted as part of the application process. Forms are available on the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission website.

Applicants must be publicly interviewed by council before it votes.

Other decisions

All nine council members voted Tuesday to publicly seek proposals from real estate brokers related to the sale of a residential property the county now owns at 1200 Susquehanna Ave. in West Pittston.

The county recently acquired the house as part of its settlement of 2018 litigation filed by Richard and Kimberly Hazzouri arguing they were wrongly prevented from participating in a flood buyout program.

The settlement awarded $650,000 for the property — $585,000 from the county community development office, $50,000 from the county’s insurance carrier and $15,000 from West Pittston’s insurance carrier. Since the settlement was separate from a flood buyout that would require demolition, the county is free to sell the property to recoup some of the money lost paying the settlement, officials have said.

Interested licensed real estate brokers must submit their commission rate and any other related costs they may anticipate to the county by June 10.

While the agenda states the proposal is specifically for the West Pittston property, the document indicates the work could also include other county-owned properties that are available to sell, develop or lease.

The request-for-proposals will be posted on the county’s purchasing department section at luzernecounty.org.

A council majority also voted to introduce an ordinance that would amend council’s administrative code to require a council majority vote — not a majority plus one — to conduct inquiries and investigations. This ordinance would require majority passage at a future meeting to take effect. McGinley, Perry and Radle voted against the ordinance introduction.

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