Luzerne County Council committee interviewing 34 more board applicants

A Luzerne County Council committee is set to publicly interview 34 more citizens interested in serving on county boards during a Tuesday session.

Applicants must complete a public interview to be placed on the eligibility list for appointment consideration.

Council is expected to appoint citizens to vacant seats on approximately 25 county boards, authorities, and commissions at its next meeting on Jan. 27.

Those interviewed Tuesday will be added to the existing list of applicants posted on the council’s authorities, boards, and commissions section at luzernecounty.org.

Election Board

Openings include two seats — a registered Republican and Democrat — on the county’s five-citizen election board, which is a high-profile independent body that oversees election procedures, makes determinations on flagged ballots and write-in votes, and certifies election results.

Republicans Roxanne Arreguin and Mark Robinson, and Democrats Al Flora and Audrey Serniak are on the eligibility list for the election board

However, Flora, of Wilkes-Barre, an attorney and past county chief public defender, is on the list to be interviewed again Tuesday because his last interview was Jan. 22, 2024. Council requires fresh interviews for those already on the list after two years.

In addition to Flora, three more applicants for the Democratic Election Board seat are scheduled to be interviewed Tuesday, according to the agenda and other county information — Patrick Dolan, a software engineer from Dallas; Jennifer Lobb, of Nanticoke, an insurance editor and part-time faculty in higher education; and Michael Nicotera, a technical intern and university senior from Mountain Top.

Serniak, a retired personal insurance representative from Plains Township, previously served on the Election Board.

Arreguin, of West Pittston, is a self-employed bookkeeper.

Robinson, of Wilkes-Barre, is a retired state corrections officer and military veteran.

Redevelopment

One seat is open on the five-citizen county Redevelopment Authority due to a resignation.

The authority has been in the limelight due to pending plans to seek proposals from any entities interested in purchasing its rail line. Reading & Northern Railroad made an unsolicited $10 million offer to buy the line in October.

Only one person — Joseph Jones — is on the eligibility list, but eight others interested in serving on the authority are set to be interviewed on Tuesday.

The new applicants: James O’Brien, a school transportation and purchasing director from Avoca and a past county recorder of deeds; Mark O’Connor, a telephone company technician and Nanticoke City Councilman; Devin Reese, a program specialist from Kingston; Cyrus Solomon, a program manager from Wilkes-Barre; Adiel Tyson, a realtor and sales trainer from Larksville; David Wychock, of Mountain Top, broker/owner of Wychock Real Estate; Rabbi Yosef Zylberberg, of Beth Israel Temple in Hazleton; and Nicotera.

Citizens may apply to multiple boards simultaneously.

Jones is a Dupont Borough Council member and works in municipal government.

Flood protection

The five-member county Flood Protection Authority, which oversees the Wyoming Valley Levee System along the Susquehanna River, also has one open seat because Coray Mitchell’s term expired at the end of 2025.

Mitchell, a realtor and appraiser from Forty Fort, is already on the eligibility list for reappointment consideration.

Two more applicants will be interviewed Tuesday —Nicotera and Duryea Emergency Management Coordinator Keith Moss, a former Duryea mayor.

Nine citizens are on Tuesday’s interview schedule for the Luzerne County Community College Board of Trustees, which has three openings.

Tuesday’s Authorities, Boards and Commissions Committee interview session starts at 5 p.m. in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre. Applicants may be interviewed remotely or in person.

Instructions for the public to remotely view the session will be posted on the council’s online public meetings link at luzernecounty.org.

A list of all those scheduled for interviews is posted with the agenda on the county site.

Council Vice Chairwoman Brittany Stephenson chairs this committee, which also includes Councilman John Lombardo and Councilwoman Denise Williams, who serves as committee vice chair.