First Posted: 2/3/2013
The state has yet to rule on a proposal by Luzerne County to add Yatesville and Pittston and Jenkins townships to the magisterial district court housed at Pittston City Hall that was vacated when Fred Pierantoni became a Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas judge.
Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Thomas Burke submitted the proposed plan under a directive from the administrative office of Pennsylvania courts that seeks to eliminate 50 magisterial districts in Pennsylvania. Pittston and Jenkins townships and Yatesville are currently in the territory of District Judge Diana Malast in Plains Township whose district would be reduced to Laflin and Plains Township if Judge Burke’s plan is approved.
The plan to move the townships and Yatesville move to Pittston must be approved by the State Supreme Court.
We encourage the Supremes to hurry up and get it done one way or the other because there are potential candidates who would like to throw their hats into the ring for the seat, but they can’t because they don’t know the circumference of the ring.
For example, potential candidates Jackie Musto Carroll and Girard Mecadon live Yatesville and Jenkins Township, respectively.
They would like to announce but since they have to live within the boundries of the district in order to run, they are in a kind of limbo, because the boundries of the district are not known.
And the first day to circulate and file nomination petitions in Pennsylvania is February 19. That’s only a little over two weeks away.
Surely the plan will be approved before then, but it wouldn’t be fair to the candidates to wait until the 11th hour.
Or to the voters.
We expect and hope the plan will be approved within the next few days.