Vito DeLuca promoted to new Luzerne County first assistant solicitor position

Luzerne County assistant solicitor Vito DeLuca has been promoted to a new part-time first assistant solicitor position in the county’s law division.

County Acting Manager Romilda Crocamo notified council in October she was eliminating a $40,000-a-year part-time solicitor position to create the new $75,000 first assistant, resulting in a net additional cost of $35,000.

The new position is warranted because the office’s workload has increased significantly in recent years, she has said.

She has funding to cover the position through the end of this year and has requested funding to keep the position in the 2022 budget.

Crocamo issued an announcement about DeLuca’s promotion Thursday, saying she is excited about his advancement and looks forward to his continued leadership.

“As a skilled litigator and policy advisor, Attorney DeLuca has been in the solicitor’s office for over a decade and previously served as chief county solicitor,” Crocamo said. “His breadth of knowledge is without comparison.”

Crocamo said DeLuca has been a close advisor to the administration and council and will “bring his outstanding legal and policy experience, commitment to public service, and passion for teamwork to this important position.”

She decided to act now in creating the position because a first assistant could oversee the office while she is acting manager. Crocamo temporarily stepped away from the chief solicitor position when a council majority appointed her acting manager July 7, the day after prior manager C. David Pedri’s resignation took effect. The county’s independent citizen Manager Search Committee does not expect to present qualified manager applicants to council for its consideration until April.

DeLuca’s compensation increased from $39,884 to $75,000 due to the promotion.

Councilman Stephen J. Urban has been critical of the job creation and proposed a budget amendment to cut the additional $35,000 from the 2022 budget. The amendment will be on council’s Tuesday agenda before a final vote on the budget.

DeLuca’s appointment to the new position was included in the administration’s November personnel report released Wednesday.

The report also said part-time assistant solicitor David Schwager has resigned.

Schwager had been on unpaid administrative leave since April, when he was charged with soliciting a prostitute. He has been accepted into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, or ARD, program for first-time offenders, according to a prior published report.