Voters arrive at the Kingston Recreation Center on Tuesday.
Mark Moran | For Times Leader
Luzerne County voters selected four Democrats and one Republican for county council Tuesday, switching the 11-member legislative body to a Democratic majority, according to unofficial election results.
John Lombardo was the lone Republican making the cut and also the only incumbent re-elected.
The four Democrats elected Tuesday: Denise Williams, Steven M. Coslett, Chris Belles, and Dawn Simmons.
The five candidates who did not secure seats: Democrat Tony Perzia and Republicans Jackie Scarcella, Brian Thornton, Stephen J. Urban, and Greg Wolovich.
Thornton and Wolovich are incumbents, and Thornton serves as vice chair. Lombardo is council chair, and council reorganizes to select officers in January following council elections.
The unofficial vote tally with all 186 precincts reporting: Williams, 38,280; Lombardo, 37,374; Coslett, 36,053; Belles, 35,986; Simmons, 34,478; Scarcella, 33,852; Thornton, 33,136; Urban, 32,872; Perzia, 31,973; and Wolovich, 31,872.
County Democratic Chairman Thomas Shubilla said he was pleased that four Democrats were elected. He said he has been subjected to media questions about the party’s declining voter registration amid Republican gains in recent years.
“We’re still in the fight and out there winning elections with good candidates and hard work,” Shubilla said.
Four years ago, in 2021, a Republican sweep resulted in the selection of five Republican council candidates and no Democrats.
The party’s situation improved in 2023, when six council seats were up. Voters selected four Democrats and two Republicans, averting a concern among some that there would be no Democratic representation when the lone Democrat at that time, Tim McGinley, completed his final term at the end of 2023.
“Four years ago was a real wake up call for a lot of people to really focus our time and efforts,” Shubilla said.
Williams, the top vote getter, thanked voters, her family, campaign team and fellow candidates.
“It was a team effort all the way,” said Williams, 63, of Kingston Township.
Williams began her career as a registered nurse and later became the religious education coordinator at St. Therese’s Church in Shavertown, a role she held for 24 years until her retirement in 2021. From 2017 to 2021, Williams volunteered with Fair Districts PA, a nonpartisan citizens group working to end gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. She served as county election board chair from 2021 through the end of 2024.
Williams said she ran for council because she believes government “must be transparent, accountable and focused on the people, not political insiders.”
While much of the attention will be on the Democratic gains, Williams emphasized her focus is on all residents.
“My goal is to collaborate with everyone on county council and work for the best interest of everyone — the administration, the employees and the residents,” Williams said.
A snapshot of the other selected council candidates:
• Lombardo, 32, of Pittston, received a bachelor’s degree in political science and media relations from Penn State University in 2015. He works as a full-time firefighter/EMT at the City Fire Bureau and has served on County Council since January 2022, acting as council chair since the start of 2024.
• Coslett, 57, of Forty Fort, graduated from the Wyoming Valley West School District and attended Luzerne County Community College, where he studied business management and criminal justice. Coslett is also a graduate of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Academy in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
• Belles, 39, of West Pittston, is a 2004 Dallas High School graduate and has a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from King’s College. He currently works as a data analyst focused on identifying efficiency opportunities.
• Simmons, 55, of Wilkes-Barre, is a U.S. Air Force veteran and Realtor. Originally from the Bronx, Simmons said she chose to make Wilkes-Barre her home in 2012 and raise her family here.
The five selected Tuesday will start their four-year terms in January and serve with Democrats Joanna Bryn Smith, Patty Krushnowski, Jimmy Sabatino, and Brittany Stephenson, and Republicans Harry Haas and LeeAnn McDermott.
Members Kevin Lescavage and Chris Perry will wrap up their terms at the end of this year. Lescavage did not secure a nomination in the primary election, and Perry did not seek re-election.
Council members receive $8,000 annually. In addition to adopting a budget, their duties include approving larger contracts, appointing members to outside county boards, enacting codes and ordinances, confirming nominations to eight division head positions, and hiring/firing and evaluating the manager.
