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WILKES-BARRE — With a resume heavy in leadership roles and public safety training, Jay Delaney can add Wilkes-Barre St. Patrick’s Day Parade grand marshal to it.

Mayor Tony George Monday named Delaney, chief of the Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department, to lead the 38th annual parade set to step off at 2 p.m. on March 11 downtown.

Delaney, 59, thanked the mayor, saying it’s an honor and privilege to be named grand marshal.

“The Delaney family has a long history of being very proud of our Irish heritage and we wear green 365 days of the year,” he said, sporting a shamrock tie under his dress uniform.

He traced his ancestry to County Roscommon in Ireland on the Delaney side. His grandparents, the Killians and O’Malleys, hailed from County Mayo, he said.

The chief said he has participated in most of the parades during his 36 years with the department. He started in 1981 as a paramedic and rose through the ranks to lead the 78-member, full-time department.

During a brief press conference at City Hall, Delaney said he was thankful for being given this opportunity by the mayor when anyone in the audience made up of members of the administration was capable of filling the role.

Delaney pointed out his wife, Valerie, daughter, Megan and grandchildren, 4-year-old Brennan and 1-year-old Delaney, seated in the rear of the room.

“I’m very proud of my family and I think, that’s what it says it all. This is not about me. It’s about my family being able to use our name Delaney and be part of the parade this year, so I’m thankful for that,” the chief said.

“I love Wilkes-Barre and what we stand for. That day everyone’s Irish and everyone’s smiling on St. Patrick’s Day during the parade,” Delaney added.

The mayor, a former police chief, said he’s known Delaney since 1981.

“Jay has a lot of experience in a lot of things,” George said as he began listing the achievements of the career firefighter who has served as chief under three mayors and worked under five administrations.

Delaney is president of the Pennsylvania Career Fire Chiefs Association and is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Fire Protection Association and the Luzerne County Community College EMS Program Advisory Board. Under former Gov. Ed Rendell, Delaney served on the Pennsylvania Game Commission Board of Commissioners and was appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf to the Governor’s Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation. He is a member of the Upper Pittston Sportsmen Club, a sustaining member of the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and the Parish of St. Benedict in Wilkes-Barre.

Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George announces this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade grand marshal as Fire Chief Jay Delaney at a press conference Monday morning.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL021318stpat1-5.jpg.optimal.jpgWilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George announces this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade grand marshal as Fire Chief Jay Delaney at a press conference Monday morning. Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney was named grand marshal of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which is set for March 11.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL021318stpat2-5.jpg.optimal.jpgWilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney was named grand marshal of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which is set for March 11. Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department Chief Jay Delaney, right, has been named grand marshal of the city’s 2018 St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which is set for March 11. Family members joined Delaney for the announcement Monday at City Hall, left to right: daughter Megan; granddaughter Delaney; wife Valerie; grandson Brennan; and chief Delaney.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL021318stpat3-5.jpg.optimal.jpgWilkes-Barre City Fire Department Chief Jay Delaney, right, has been named grand marshal of the city’s 2018 St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which is set for March 11. Family members joined Delaney for the announcement Monday at City Hall, left to right: daughter Megan; granddaughter Delaney; wife Valerie; grandson Brennan; and chief Delaney. Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

By Jerry Lynott

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Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.