Luzerne County’s Election Board will publicly advertise a vacant fifth board chairmanship seat in coming days and then allow two weeks for citizens to apply, it decided Wednesday.
The county’s home rule charter created a unique structure for this fifth seat by removing county council from the selection process. Instead, the four council-appointed board members — two Republicans and two Democrats — choose a fifth citizen of any affiliation or no affiliation.
Denise Williams, a Democrat, last filled the seat and served since April 2021, resigning last month because she is running for county council. Prior to Williams, the board has had two other Democrats, a Republican and an Independent in the fifth chair seat.
The current board members are Republicans Alyssa Fusaro (vice chair) and Rick Morelli and Democrats Albert Schlosser and Daniel Schramm.
Morelli emphasized during Wednesday’s meeting he won’t support the appointment of any current election board members to the fifth seat if they decide to apply. Morelli served on the commission that drafted the home rule charter in effect since 2012, and he said the intent was for the four council-appointed members to independently search and give someone else a chance to fill the seat as a check and balance.
Morelli also noted the appointment of a current member would lock that person in for four more years on the board.
County Assistant Solicitor Gene Molino said the county law office believes the charter, as written, does not prohibit a current member from being appointed to the chairmanship seat. If that occurred, the member would relinquish his or her current seat so council could appoint someone else, he said.
Morelli said he respectfully disagrees with that interpretation.
Molino said the intent of charter drafters is a consideration but added the charter language should have provided more clarity — something that should be addressed by the current study commission examining possible charter alterations to put before county voters.
Fusaro said after the meeting she does not know if any current board members will apply. Schramm and Schlosser said they are not interested in the chairmanship.
This issue aside, the policy approved by the board requires applicants to submit a resume and letter of interest addressed to the attention of the election board and mailed to or dropped off at the election bureau in the county’s Penn Place Building, 20 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701.
The law office will review applications for any conflicts as specified in the charter.
According to the charter:
Citizens cannot serve on the board if they are an elected county or public official, a county or public employee or a member or employee of any other county authority, board or commission. Furthermore, appointees can’t be a political party officer or a paid consultant or employee of a contractor of the county or any county authority, board or commission.
These prohibitions go beyond current circumstances and apply four years prior to appointment.
Also, for a period of one year after leaving the election board, members cannot be:
• Hired as a county employee.
• Appointed to or employed by a county authority, board or commission.
• Employed or compensated by any individual or business that served as a county or authority/board/commission contractor during the time the person served on the election board.
• A paid consultant for the county or any authority, board or commission.
Election board members also must be available on Election Day and during the day for a little over a week to two weeks after each primary and general election for the adjudication process.
The board’s policy requires all applicants to be publicly interviewed using questions pre-determined by the board and confirmed by the law office.
If a board majority does not select someone within 60 days, any resident may petition the county Court of Common Pleas to fill the seat. The 60-day clock started with council’s declaration of the vacancy Tuesday.