Bi-County Airport Board members say they are undecided on executive director job

PITTSTON TWP. — In a recent news report, Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak asserted he is not only qualified to be the next executive director of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, but he also implied that he “has the votes” to secure that post.

The six current members of the airport’s Bi-County Airport Board apparently don’t agree with Chermak’s assessments, and they responded to a Times Leader email seeking answers to specific questions raised by the story.

The Bi-County Airport Board is made up of three representatives from each member county. Luzerne County is represented by County Council members Lee Ann McDermott and Chris Belles and County Manager Romilda Crocamo. Lackawanna County is represented by Commissioners Thom Welby and Bill Gaughan and temporary appointee, Attorney Chris Munley. Munley is temporarily filling the seat held by Commissioner Chermak, who “stepped away” from the airport board while he seeks the executive director’s position.

A national search was conducted by ADK Consulting at a cost of $47,000. It was reported that 20 candidates applied and have been narrowed to five finalists, Chermak being one. The names of the other four have not been released, but it has been learned that they each possess most of the preferred and required qualifications that were sought in the search.

Here is what each Bi-County Airport Board member said on where they stand with the selection process:

Bill Gaughan, Democratic Lackawanna County Commissioner and a vocal opponent of Chermak’s candidacy:

“No, (Chermak) does not have my vote because he doesn’t have the basic qualifications to be the executive director of the airport. I find Commissioner Chermak’s statement astonishing. It reeks of an unmistakable sense of entitlement — that this job is somehow his before the board has even done its work.

“Public positions don’t belong to politicians. They belong to the public, and they should be earned through an open, fair, and competitive process.

“If Commissioner Chermak already knows the outcome, then the public deserves to know what is actually going on here. If that is the case, taxpayers deserve to know why the Airport Board paid nearly $50,000 for a national executive search. Why did qualified professionals from around the country spend their time applying if the outcome was already pre-determined?

“Either Commissioner Chermak is exaggerating his support, or he is suggesting this process is nothing more than political theater. Neither answer reflects well on him.”

Chris Belles, Luzerne County Council/Vice Chairman of the Airport Board:

“If he actually said he has the votes, I would say that I don’t know who I’m voting for yet, and neither do any of the members of the board. We haven’t voted, and there was no conversation deliberating votes that I know about.

TL: His revelation that airport staff are supporting him — have they issued any public statements? Are any of them serving on the search committee? Have they interviewed any of the candidates?

Gaughan: “Airport employees don’t hire the executive director. The board does. If Commissioner Chermak is relying on private conversations with airport staff to bolster his candidacy, that’s his choice. I’m relying on something much simpler — the published qualifications. That’s what should determine who gets this job. Not politics. Not friendships. Not backroom conversations. Qualifications.”

Belles: “I don’t believe any staff has publicly made any statements of support. I haven’t received any private statements of support from AVP staff.”

TL: His revelation of former Executive Director Carl Beardsley’s reason for resigning the position? Are you concerned about any HIPAA violations?

Gaughan: “Frankly, I thought that was one of the most inappropriate and shocking parts of the interview. The qualifications of one candidate should never depend upon publicly discussing another person’s health. More importantly, Commissioner Chermak now appears to argue that because Mr. Beardsley allegedly experienced health issues, he (Chermak) was essentially running the airport. Really? If that’s true, where’s the evidence?

“When did the board authorize Commissioner Chermak to perform the executive director’s duties? When was that reported to the board? Where are the meeting minutes? Where are the resolutions? Where is the documentation? Or is this simply a convenient story that surfaced only after serious questions were raised about whether he meets the qualifications for the position? If Commissioner Chermak has been running the airport for years, the public and the airport board deserve proof — not rhetoric.”

Belles: “I can’t comment on this other than to say that Carl Beardsley, by all accounts I’ve heard, was a wonderful leader.”

TL: Can you provide the names and qualifications of all finalists for the position? Do you think Chermak put himself in an advantageous position by revealing his name and qualifications?

Gaughan: “Personally, I have always believed that transparency builds public confidence, particularly for a position as important as executive director of a publicly owned airport. If the board determines that releasing that information at some point is appropriate and consistent with any commitments made during the search process, I would certainly be open to that discussion.

“I believe Commissioner Chermak put himself in a unique position — one that no other finalist appears to have taken. What makes this particularly unusual is the timeline. Commissioner Chermak applied for this position months ago. During that time, questions were raised publicly about whether he was a candidate, and he repeatedly declined to confirm that he had applied.

“Now, after advancing to the finalist stage, he has suddenly launched a public campaign explaining why he deserves the job and is making claims that he has the support of all the board members except me. The strongest candidates don’t need a media campaign to explain why they’re qualified. Their education, experience, and record do that for them. That’s why we established objective qualifications and hired a national search firm in the first place. The fact that Commissioner Chermak made it this far in the process without meeting the basic qualifications is ridiculous.”

Belles: “No.”

TL: Do you know how Chermak advanced in this process to be one of five finalists? Did ADK advance him? Can you provide how this happened?

Gaughan: “That’s a question I have been asking from the beginning. The position advertised minimum qualifications. Those standards exist for a reason. The public deserves to know why the standards were apparently ignored in the case of Commissioner Chermak.”

Belles: “This isn’t a political hire. This isn’t a political job that you campaign for in the press, so I don’t think it helped, no.”

TL: Were any of the candidates interviewed by the board? Will they be interviewed, and when?

Gaughan: “No. At this time, I have not received any information from the board on when the interviews will take place.”

Belles: “Not yet. We’re working on dates that work with our calendars, and don’t have anything specifically lined up yet.”

TL: Will this position be voted on at the next meeting of the Bi-County Board on Thursday, July 23?

Gaughan: “That decision rests with the airport board. I have not received any information from my fellow board members that a vote will be taken on July 23. From my perspective, I want every finalist interviewed thoroughly before any vote occurs. The public deserves nothing less.”

Belles: “No.”

TL: Do you feel Chermak meets any of the qualifications that were advertised for the position by ADK? Which ones?

Gaughan: “No.”

Belles: “I’m not going to specifically critique his resume, but qualifications do matter.”

TL: Also offer any other comments you have on this process and Chermak’s decision to go public?

Gaughan: “This entire episode is really about whether public jobs still have minimum qualifications, or whether those qualifications disappear when the applicant happens to be a politician and chairman of the board.

“We were told this would be a national search. We hired professional recruiters. We advertised objective minimum qualifications. We invited qualified professionals from across the country to apply. And yet, before this board has interviewed a single finalist, one candidate is already giving victory interviews, discussing who supposedly supports him, and explaining why everyone else should overlook serious questions about whether he met the qualifications in the first place. That’s not confidence. That is entitlement.

“The irony is that the loudest argument we’ve heard for Commissioner Chermak’s candidacy hasn’t been his resume — it has been Commissioner Chermak. The strongest candidates usually let their credentials speak for themselves. When someone has to spend more time explaining why the qualifications shouldn’t matter than demonstrating that they actually meet them, that’s a question every hiring board should take seriously.

“Public office is not a fast pass to another public office. At the end of the day, this airport board has a choice. We can send the message that standards matter, or we can send the message that standards are flexible when the applicant has enough political influence.

“I know which message I’ll be voting for.”

Belles: “This is basically the same thing that I told Chris (Chermak) when he said he was thinking of applying for the position, and I’m sure he won’t mind me saying it here. Whoever gets the job will get it because they are the best person with the best qualifications and the best personality to run our airport and be a cheerleader for our airport.

“The rest of this is speculation and gamesmanship. The board will make the right decision, and I’m so proud of how diligent the board has been throughout this process. I repeat, this isn’t a political hire.”

4 other Bi-County board members comment

Thom Welby, Lackawanna County Commissioner Chair:

“While this is a personnel issue, I will say that I only know what I know — and that is we have not done any interviews other than reviewing applications and copies of interviews from the group hired to do the search.

“We have not discussed those interviews at all — at least I haven’t.

“I can honestly tell you that I have not made any presumptions at all — and could not — until we — or at least I — get to talk with the other board members about each of the candidates, then hopefully narrow it down to two or three candidates and then do Zoom or in-person interviews with those finalists.”

Romilda Crocamo, Luzerne County Manager:

“I’m not in a position to confirm, deny, or characterize any candidate’s statements about the search, including any claims about votes, staff support, or the circumstances of the prior director’s departure.

“Personnel matters of this nature are handled confidentially, and I don’t think it serves the process, or any candidate, including Mr. Chermak, for board members to debate it in the press before it’s concluded.

“On the specific question of whether health-related information about a former employee was disclosed — I take that concern seriously. I’m not going to confirm or discuss the substance of any individual’s personnel or medical information in the press, and I’d caution against anyone else doing so as well, regardless of the source. If there’s a legitimate concern that protected information was shared improperly, that’s a matter for review through appropriate channels, not something to be hashed out in a news story.

“What I can tell you — any hiring decision requires a formal vote of the full Bi-County Airport Board, consistent with the board’s bylaws, and no such vote has occurred. I have not committed my vote to any candidate.

“I won’t be speculating on the makeup of the finalist pool, ADK’s process for advancing candidates, or interview scheduling, as that information belongs to the search committee and the board as a whole, not to me individually.

Lee Ann McDermott, Luzerne County Council:

“I agree with the response that Romilda provided.

“What I can tell you is that I have not made any decision yet, as we have not concluded our interview process. I am awaiting the next step from ADP and the board.”

Attorney Chris Munley, temporary airport board member:

“I’ve only been on this board for two days, so I do not have answers to many of your questions.

“I remain open-minded about all the candidates, and I am looking forward to their interviews to help aid in my decision.

“I do not know what any other member thinks about the candidates. I have spoken to most of the members, but we have not discussed how anyone will vote.”

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