Luzerne County Council Chairman presents views on home rule improvements

As requested, Luzerne County Council Chairman John Lombardo presented his personal views on home rule improvements and answered a lengthy series of questions during Thursday’s county Government Study Commission meeting.

At the close of the three-hour meeting, during public comment, council Vice Chairman Brian Thornton blasted three commission members for a release they put out last week.

Some highlights of Lombardo’s suggestions:

• Council size

Reduce size of council from 11 members to seven or five, preferably seven.

Lombardo said he agrees with the sentiment of charter drafters that 11 would dilute the concentration of political power but believes that goal has been achieved by the creation of a council/manager structure separating the legislative and executive branches.

• Council selection

Keep council members elected countywide instead of creating regional districts.

Lombardo said he opposes districts because he believes it may encourage parochialism and would be difficult to establish zones that are “equally representative of every part of the county.” He also believes districts would “add confusion” for voters.

• Authorities/Boards/Commissions

Reevaluate numerous charter eligibility restrictions.

While these prohibitions “may have been appropriate through the lens of this charter’s inception, they no longer work in practice,” he said.

He provided an example of citizens unable to serve on the county Election Board because they had received a county stipend working in Election Day polling places.

• Election Board

Allow council to fill the fifth election board seat or provide council the ability to remove that member if the member commits a crime or violates the charter.

Under the charter, council appoints two Republicans and two Democrats to the board, and those four then select a fifth member who also serves as chair.

“While I understand the desire to prevent partisanship on the board, it can easily be argued that the board is partisan either way since there are almost always three members of one party, and two of the other party,” Lombardo said.

Current election board Chairwoman Denise Williams, speaking Thursday, said some council members have repeatedly attempted to gain control of appointing the fifth member, and she challenged commission members to identify how that change would improve election oversight compared to the home rule structure.

After hearing other points made by Lombardo, Commission Vice Chairman Vito Malacari asked what change Lombardo would identify as the most pressing.

Lombardo identified the elimination of charter provisions that conflict with state or federal laws as the top priority, saying ambiguity and differing interpretations create confusion and potentially lead to litigation.

Authorized by county April 23 primary election voters, the commission has nine months to report findings and recommendations and another nine months if it is opting to prepare and submit government changes. An extra two months is allowable if the commission is recommending electing council by district instead of at large.

The commission also heard presentations from two prospective solicitors Thursday but held off on making a decision until next week.

Thornton complaint

Three members of the seven-citizen commission — Malacari, Cindy Malkemes and Mark Shaffer — had issued a public release last week over the format of bill payments.

The four other commission members disagreed with the trio’s argument that the commission should have a separate bank account for bill payments.

Council unanimously agreed to introduce a budget ordinance that would earmark $75,000 from the reserve fund to cover bills approved by the commission.

The statement said council’s decision to deny the creation of an independent bank account for commission operations is “a move that reeks of the very corruption the voters sought to combat when they elected this commission.”

Councilman Kevin Lescavage approached the podium first, thanking the commission for its work but saying he was bothered by the statement.

“I take personal exception to being called corrupt. It’s a very strong word. I don’t like it. In the future I ask everyone to refrain from that.”

Thornton said he pushed to get the home rule study commission on the ballot to fix charter problems and was “very much taken aback” reading the statement.

The statement used the word corruption eight times and stated county council 10 times, he said, describing the move as “irresponsible” and “malicious” and “slanderous.”

“If you feel there’s corruption, walk across the hall and report it to the district attorney,” Thornton said.

He accused the three of using the commission as a platform to run for office and said many people now believe the statement has discredited the commission to the degree that he believes the three should resign.

Thornton said the statement’s threat of legal action and taking of a position without consensus from the entire commission has prompted him to question if council members should continue responding to commission requests for council input on its work.

In response, Shaffer said commission members have the right to speak and point out problems. He said he won’t be intimidated or silenced.