Luzerne County committee will publicly interview board applicants Dec. 8

Luzerne County has scheduled a Dec. 8 public interview session for applicants interested in serving on county boards, including two seats opening on the election board.

Republican Alyssa Fusaro and Democrat Daniel Schramm will complete their election board terms at the end of this month, and both said they won’t be seeking reappointment.

County Council appoints citizens for two Democratic and two Republican seats on the board, including the two with expiring terms. The four council-appointed members select a citizen of any affiliation or no affiliation to fill the fifth seat and serve as board chair.

The volunteer board is a high-profile independent body because it oversees election procedures, makes determinations on flagged ballots and write-in votes, and certifies election results.

Citizens must be publicly interviewed by the council’s Authorities, Boards and Commissions (ABC) Committee and meet other conditions to be placed on the eligibility list that the council uses for appointments.

No Republican applicants are on the eligibility list.

Two Democrats are on the list: past county public defender Al Flora and prior election board member Audrey Serniak.

Serniak must reapply because she was placed on the eligibility list Dec. 7, 2023, and Council requires fresh interviews for those already on the list after two years. Serniak, who still actively follows election board meetings, recently said she has decided she will reapply.

Council Vice Chairman Brian Thornton, who chairs the ABC Committee, said Tuesday he does not yet know if any Republicans have applied because he is awaiting a roster for the Dec. 8 meeting.

Thornton encouraged both Republicans and Democrats to consider applying. While the election board is busy around elections, he said the board and the election bureau have worked to streamline post-election processing.

The ABC Committee meeting starts at 5 p.m. in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre. Instructions for the remote attendance option will be posted under the council’s online public meetings section at luzernecounty.org.

Applications are posted at luzernecounty.org. Most other county boards also have openings that must be filled in 2026.