Election board chair still vacant; applicants sought
Apr. 8—The Luzerne County Board of Elections is still seeking a new chairperson.
The board had been scheduled to appoint a chairperson on Wednesday, but all three applicants for the position had conflicts that prevented them from serving, county chief solicitor Romilda Crocamo said.
The four election board members had been set to publicly interview applicants for chairperson before appointing a new chair to take the fifth and final seat on the board, which certifies the results of county elections.
Instead, the board voted to re-advertise the chairperson position. The notice will be placed in local newspapers, on the county website and the election board's Facebook page.
The deadline to apply will be April 19. The election board will interview applicants and likely appoint a new chair at a special meeting on April 21.
The deadline clock is ticking for the board to appoint a new chair.
County council declared the position vacant on Feb. 23, after former chairwoman Jeanette Tait resigned.
The election board has 60 days from the vacancy declaration to appoint a new chair, according to the county charter. That makes the deadline April 24.
After that, any county resident may petition the county court of common pleas to fill the position.
The election board chairperson may be a county resident of any political affiliation, but the charter places several restrictions on election board members.
For four years prior to appointment, no board member may have served as an elective county official, been a county employee, served on a county authority, board or commission, held any elective office or public employment, served as a contractor or a paid consultant to the county or served as an officer in a political party.
The three recent applicants for chairperson had conflicts related to the charter stipulations, Crocamo said. Those stipulations also prohibit any current board member from being named chairperson.
Anyone interested in serving as chair of the election board may submit a resume and letter of interest addressed to the Luzerne County Board of Elections.
Applicants may drop off those materials at the county election bureau, or mail them to the bureau in time to be received by April 19. The address is Luzerne County Bureau of Elections, 20 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 207, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701.
Visit https://www.luzernecounty.org/396/Elections for information about county elections.
Contact the writer:
emark@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2117
