Election board seats might be filled next week

Eric Mark, The Citizens' Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read

Mar. 4—Three vacant seats on the Luzerne County Board of Elections could be filled as soon as next week.

The county is accepting applications from county residents who are interested in filling the seats, two Republican and one Democrat.

County council declared the seats vacant on Tuesday, after a controversy that began when Councilman Stephen J. Urban was appointed chairman of the election board on Feb. 24, in violation of the county charter.

County council appoints four members to the election board, two from each of the major political parties. Those four then appoint a fifth member, of any political affiliation, who serves as chairperson.

Council's ABC Committee will interview those interested in serving on the election board and other county authorities, boards and commissions on Monday.

Council might appoint qualified county residents to fill the three vacant election board seats on Tuesday, council Chairman Tim McGinley said.

The seats council will fill are the two Republican seats that were vacated Tuesday, that had been held by Joyce Dombroski-Gebhardt and Keith Gould, as well as a Democratic seat that had been held by former board Vice Chairman Peter Ouellette, who resigned last month.

The chairperson seat that Urban held briefly will be filled by the members of the election board at a future board meeting.

Those who wish to fill the election board seats that are appointed by council must meet the following qualifications:

* Must be a resident of Luzerne County and a registered voter.

* Must be a registered Democrat or Republican, and must have been registered with that party for the past five years.

* For the past four years, must not have held elective office or public employment, been an employee or official of the county or a member of any county authority, board or commission, or worked as a consultant or contractor for the county.

The election board is currently down to one member, Democrat Audrey Serniak.

The board is scheduled to meet on March 10, but cannot meet until at least two more members are appointed, to reach a three-member quorum.

It is not clear if there would be time for new members to be sworn in by then, just one day after council is set to make those appointments, McGinley said.

The ABC Committee interviews on Monday will begin at 6 p.m. and will be conducted remotely.

Visit https://www.luzernecounty.org/1279/Public-Meetings-Online for information on how to participate in the remote interviews.

Also, visit the county's site at https://tinyurl.com/ycl6oe43 to access applications for those interested in serving on county authorities, boards and commissions.

Contact the writer:

emark@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2117