Conflicting language dissected in county hiring

Luzerne County government’s conflicting nepotism directives come into play with Nick Vough’s hiring earlier this year as operational services project manager director.

When Vough was determined to be the highest-ranked applicant for the position earlier this year, county Manager Romilda Crocamo said she sought confirmation from the county law office that there was no charter prohibition because his father is county Court of Common Pleas President Judge Michael T. Vough. She noted the judge is actually a state employee.

The nepotism section of the county’s home rule charter says that county elected officials and employees cannot hire or supervise a family member.

That wording is mirrored in the county’s personnel policy, which prohibits county officials and employees from hiring a family member and bars the employment of someone in a department supervised by a relative.

But sandwiched between these two is a personnel code that had been adopted by council shortly after the 2012 implementation of home rule.

In line with the charter and personnel policy, this code starts out by indicating no elected county official or county employee/manager can hire a family member who would be under their direct “line of authority.”

However, the next section goes on to altogether ban the hiring of family members of specific individuals: county council members, county Court of Common Pleas judges, magisterial district judges, the county manager and eight division heads. It makes no mention of the county’s elected district attorney or controller.

According to a March 2012 report, the 11 council members seated at that time decided to add the relatives of elected county judges and magisterial district judges to the prohibition list.

Crocamo said the charter was followed in this hiring. The administration has been reviewing council-adopted codes, including the personnel code, to recommend changes.

“We will make certain that this issue is brought to council’s attention to remedy the apparent inconsistency,” Crocamo said.

There’s a question of whether a council code can make the prohibition more stringent than the charter’s definition of nepotism and whether the immediate relatives of a county judge paid by the state can be altogether barred from county employment.

Crocamo also emphasized the county “strictly adheres to the merit hiring process, including with respect to the position in question.”

The process starts with a human resources department review of qualifications. The top three highest-ranked applicants are interviewed by a staff committee. The county manager must then provide final approval for the recommended candidate.

Crocamo said Vough was hired based on his qualifications, interview and recommendations of the committee.

She described him as an “integral part of operations.”

Vough has systematically assessed and organized all projects for tracking and funding sources and is staying on top of contracts and budgets to ensure work does exceed approved amounts, she said.

Crocamo said Wednesday was the first day she had to sign a change order that resulted in the county receiving approximately $600 back, as opposed to being required to pay more.

“The work that he is doing is benefiting the county. It really is. He’s doing a great job,” Crocamo said.

Vough was hired as project management director at $72,775 annually.

A Pittston native and property owner in the city’s downtown, Vough is a 2016 graduate of the Penn State University Smeal College of Business, with a focus in management information systems and supply chain management. He has worked at TFP Limited the last 2½ years, where he was heavily involved with the company’s business processes and real estate development projects.