Luzerne County government may have a new top manager next week.
One more vote is needed to hire Randy Robertson for the position, and Council Chairwoman Kendra Radle and Vice Chairman John Lombardo said Thursday they may be voting for his appointment.
“I’m considering supporting him because it may be in the best interest of the county rather than going through another lengthy search,” Radle said. “I’m just trying to find the best path forward so we can get back to dealing with the other issues that face the county. We can’t hold up business any longer.”
Radle said she hasn’t changed her belief that Acting Manager Romilda Crocamo should have been made the permanent manager, but she wants the county to move on.
“Although I disagree with how Romilda Crocamo was treated in the process and have reservations about Mr. Robertson, I still have to think about what’s in the best interest of the county,” Radle said.
She expects the manager hiring will be placed on Tuesday’s agenda.
Lombardo said he fully agrees with Radle’s sentiment.
“I am continuing to evaluate the situation to find the best option to keep order and stability in county government,” he said.
County Councilwoman LeeAnn McDermott had expressed frustration over the manager selection process earlier this week, saying she had expected Crocamo’s Monday withdrawal of her application for the permanent position would prompt at least one of Crocamo’s five council supporters to provide the seventh vote needed to hire finalist Robertson next week.
All five council members — Lombardo, Tim McGinley, Chris Perry, Robert Schnee and Radle — had said they were not supporting Robertson if there was a call to vote next week, with some citing concerns Robertson did not have county government management experience and would not be committed to stay here for an extended period.
The five instead supported asking the citizen manager search committee to seek new advertisements for the position to determine if there are other qualified applicants, but it appears they would not have a sixth vote needed to proceed with that approach.
Even though the manager hiring requires seven votes under the county’s home rule charter, the six supporting Robertson have enough votes to take other actions if they stick together.
Based on multiple sources, proposed moves were in play attempting to force movement in securing a seventh vote, such as the replacement of Radle and Lombardo as chair/vice chair and the removal of Crocamo as acting manager.
Crocamo has offered to remain acting manager until the new manager is in place, saying it is “abundantly clear” she has the ability to manage operations while a suitable replacement is selected and that she would be an “irreplaceable asset to the incoming executive during the transition in leadership.”
She has served as acting manager since prior manager C. David Pedri’s resignation took effect July 6.
In addition to McDermott, the council members supporting Robertson are: Carl Bienias III, Kevin Lescavage, Brian Thornton, Stephen J. Urban and Gregory Wolovich Jr.
McDermott has highlighted the educational, municipal management and military experience of Robertson, a Kentucky native, predicting he “could get our county running like a well-oiled machine.”
Urban said during Robertson’s public interview last month he was extremely impressed with Robertson’s resume and presentation and sees many similarities between Robertson and his father, former county commissioner and councilman Stephen A. Urban, a retired Army lieutenant colonel.
Perry said he respects the right of any council members to vote as they see fit. He said he won’t be supporting Robertson’s hiring but would do everything he could to help him move the county forward if he is selected.
Robertson, who is currently working under a contract that wraps up the end of May or early June, has said he would give the county his best and does not view the role as a short-term assignment.