Luzerne County Election Bureau down three workers after terminations

Two Luzerne County election bureau workers were terminated Tuesday, which means three of eight positions in the office are now vacant.

The two dismissed employees, according to sources, were administrative assistants who were hired at $16.36 per hour in March and April, personnel reports show.

No reason for the action could be confirmed, and the former employees could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

The AFSCME residual union contract governing administrative assistants in the bureau says workers are in probationary status for 120 days after their hiring.

Probationary employees “may be disciplined and/or discharged by the employer at will without recourse to the grievance procedure,” the union contract says.

County AFSCME union head Angela Scocozzo said Tuesday evening she did not become aware of the situation until late in the day and is “looking into the matter.”

County Acting Manager Brian Swetz said he won’t comment on personnel matters.

County Election Director Michael Susek could not be reached for comment.

The bureau’s non-union deputy election director position also is vacant because Sarah Knoell was hired in March and has submitted her resignation, effective June 3, saying she is pursuing “another passion of early childhood education.”

That position is advertised at $42,000 annually, which is the same compensation that has been paid to Knoell and previous deputy director Eryn Harvey, who had resigned in February before announcing her candidacy for state representative.

The deputy job is posted under the county human resources department career opportunities link at luzernecounty.org, with resumes due June 8.

The bureau also employs three more administrative assistants and an elections operator. Emily Cook was hired to fill the elections operator position in March.

Primary election

The county is set to start a mandated recount in the U.S. Senate race at 1 p.m. Wednesday in Courtroom A at the county’s Penn Place Building in downtown Wilkes-Barre, Swetz told council in an email at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“I was informed late this afternoon that the adjudication activities would wrap up tonight. I would like to thank the Election Board for the time they collectively as a board allocated to complete the process. I told council that any staffing request of the election director would be met to complete the state deadline,” he wrote.

Acting Secretary of State Leigh M. Chapman ordered a mandatory statewide recount because the top two unofficial winners — Mehmet C. Oz and David H. McCormick — have vote totals within a one half of 1% margin.

The recount completion deadline is noon on June 7. The state estimated the recount will cost taxpayers more than $1 million and verified it will be reimbursing counties to cover the expense.