Forty Fort Borough Building. Times Leader file photo FORTY FORT — Luzerne County Judge Tina Polachek Gartley has scheduled a hearing on a civil complaint seeking to reinstate three ousted members of the Forty Fort Civil Service Commission.
Robert Craig, Robert Swaback and Anthony Smith, through their attorney G. Vincent Tese of the Cyber Law Firm in West Chester, filed the civil complaint July 22, three weeks after six members of borough council removed them from the civil service commission.
The three men allege in the complaint their dismissal by borough council was illegal.
Gartley scheduled the hearing for Monday, Aug. 5.
The civil service commission is responsible for the hiring, promotion and discipline of police officers in Forty Fort.
According to the complaint, the civil service commission began the process of hiring a new police officer due to the resignation of a police officer.
An application to fill the void was never turned over to the civil service commission, the complaint says.
During a civil service commission meeting April 10, Scott Sarafin resigned due to being appointed to the Luzerne County Airport Advisory Board.
Sarafin said he had been on the borough’s civil service commission for five years until he resigned.
During his last meeting as a member of the civil service commission, Sarafin said it was brought up that the civil service commission “did not have detailed point-to-point on how to accept the application and turn it over to borough council.”
When Sarafin resigned, Craig - who was an alternate member, was designated to the civil service commission.
Prior to a June 26 civil service meeting, the complaint says, Swaback, Craig and Sara Michaels, who serves as the vice chairwoman, discussed existing matters that involved the application for the police department, which prompted objections from members of council and Mayor Brian Thomas.
At the ensuing borough council meeting held July 1, six members of council removed Craig, Swaback and Smith from the civil service commission.
Sarafin said he believed “animosity” began when a police officer, who also served as a clerk on the civil service commission, resigned within the last three months. Sarafin further said there were additional applications for the police officer’s position that were not turned over to borough council.
“I have complete faith in our police chief (Daniel E. Hunsinger) and his decisions and how he runs the force and how the mayor oversees the force. I believe Forty Fort is one of the few boroughs in the state that is an accredited force.”
The Forty Fort Police Department received Accreditation Status through the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission in 2023, which much comply to 130 standards for best practices, procedures and community relations.
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