Luzerne County Council Vice Chairwoman Brittany Stephenson is urging registered Republicans to apply for a seat on the county Election Board that will be vacant due to Rick Morelli’s upcoming resignation.
Morelli, a Republican, has informed county officials he will be stepping down from the five-citizen volunteer board after it certifies the general election results because he is planning to run for a Hazleton Area School Board seat in 2027.
Stephenson chairs the council committee that screens and publicly interviews citizen applicants for board seats. She said the county is preparing public notices seeking applicants for the election board seat and other vacancies.
Application information is available in the council section at luzernecounty.org.
The election board oversees elections, makes determinations on flagged ballots and write-in votes, and certifies election results.
Applicants should be aware of some county home rule charter restrictions that apply to this seat:
• Appointees must have been a Republican continuously for at least five years prior to appointment and remain a member of that party during his or her board term.
• Citizens cannot serve on the board if they are an elected county or public official, a county or public employee, or a member or employee of any other county authority, board, or commission. Furthermore, appointees can’t be a political party officer or a paid consultant or employee of a contractor of the county or any county authority, board, or commission. Election Day poll workers cannot be appointed due to their receipt of a county payment, officials said.
These prohibitions go beyond current circumstances and apply four years prior to appointment.
Council Chairman Jimmy Sabatino said he expects an applicant interview session will be scheduled before the end of the year.
The charter requires the council to appoint two Republicans and two Democrats to the board, and those four then select a fifth member of any affiliation or no affiliation to serve as chair — currently Democrat Christine Boyle.
Opioid earmarks
County Council members unanimously voted last week to earmark $1.2 million in opioid settlement funds to the county’s Drug and Alcohol department, which serves residents with substance use disorder who are uninsured or underinsured.
The county’s Commission on Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement recommended the allocations from the county’s share of the state settlement against opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors.
The $1.2 million will cover medication-assisted treatment, including oral and long-acting injectable medications such as Brixadi and Sublocade, and help fund prevention, intervention, and other provider services.
Wyoming Seminary also was awarded $500 for its IMPACT Substance Use Prevention Program. Councilman Harry Haas abstained from that vote, citing a family member’s employment at the school.
Data center
Council members were extensively briefed last week on a proposed data center zoning ordinance that will eventually come to them for approval.
Sabatino said he expects one more work session discussion before a required public hearing and final adoption vote are scheduled.
If approved by the council, the zoning amendment would take effect in 19 municipalities that rely on county zoning instead of handling it on their own: the boroughs of Avoca, Courtdale, Dupont, Duryea, Hughestown, Jeddo, Laflin, New Columbus, Pringle, Warrior Run, West Wyoming, and Yatesville, and the townships of Conyngham, Fairmount, Hunlock, Huntington, Lake, Ross, and Union.
The county Planning Commission recommended the amendment to County Council.
It covers an exhaustive set of conditions that must be met and mandates more extensive special exception approval from the county Zoning Hearing Board for all data center requests.
Council members asked questions and expressed positive comments about the thoroughness of the proposal.
Grant application
In another unanimous vote, the council agreed to seek a $1.57 million Multimodal Transportation Fund from the state Department of Transportation to address needed work on the Sutton Creek Road Bridge in Exeter Township.
If awarded, the county must contribute a 30% match.
Resolution
A council majority approved a resolution expressing disapproval of mass automated location and biometric surveillance of people and vehicles while supporting targeted law enforcement use of such systems.
Councilman Chris Belles asked his colleagues to weigh in because state elected officials have been expressing bipartisan support for restrictions on camera systems that automatically capture and retain data.
Three council members did not support the resolution: Haas, Patty Krushnowski, and LeeAnn McDermott.