Kendra Radle is new Luzerne County Council chair

Luzerne County Councilwoman Kendra Radle was named the new council chair Monday night, overcoming a push by some to put new Councilman Brian Thornton in the leadership role.

Word spread in the hours leading up to Monday’s meeting that Radle had majority support for the chairmanship.

It was the first vote of the reorganized council in which newcomers Thornton, John Lombardo, Kevin Lescavage and Gregory Wolovich Jr. joined current members Radle, LeeAnn McDermott, Tim McGinley, Chris Perry (also re-elected in November), Robert Schnee and Stephen J. Urban.

Council must fill the remaining council seat with another Republican because Walter Griffith became the new elected county controller Monday.

Eight members supported Radle: Lescavage, Lombardo, McDermott, McGinley, Perry, Radle, Schnee and Thornton.

“I am really excited to work with all of you,” Radle said, promising “productive, informative and precise meetings” and collaboration among all members.

Urban nominated McDermott, but he and Wolovich were the only ones to support her chairmanship.

McDermott also had been mentioned as a possible chair nominee, but she declined to pursue a nomination due to a recent death in her family and other pressing matters. She ended up seconding Radle’s nomination for the chairmanship seat.

Thornton made the nomination for Radle. He had said he was asked by several fellow incoming council members and others to serve as the new chairman and was willing to take on the role. However, Thornton also had said he would support someone else if he or she has more backing because he did not want a 5-5 tie.

There were legal inquiries about the possibility of Griffith voting for the council chair before he was sworn in as controller, but Griffith said that would have “been a distraction” and was not something “he should be involved in as the county controller-elect.”

The chair presides over meetings, prepares meeting agendas, serves as a ceremonial head and selects which council members serve on council committees.

McGinley, who served as chairman the last four years, had said he would not want to remain chair after 2021. He has only two years left on council due to the home rule charter’s three-term limit.

McGinley also is the only Democrat remaining on council.

Vice chair

Lombardo was named council vice chairman, with votes from the same council members who supported Radle’s chairmanship.

Urban nominated Wolovich, and he and Wolovich were the only ones to support that option.

Urban said later in the meeting he has made progress working with fellow council members and that there should be “no hard feelings” over his nominations.

“I think we have a great team,” Urban said.

Perry had said he was not interested in remaining vice chair or in filling the chairmanship.

The four new council members and Perry were sworn in during a ceremony in the courthouse rotunda preceding the reorganization meeting.

Controller

Griffith took the oath of office as the new county controller during a Monday night ceremony at Leggio’s Italian Restaurant in Dallas.

He said Monday he plans to publicly advertise an auditor position and the deputy controller opening in his office. Griffith had planned to bring back to employees who worked in his office when he was previously controller, but he said Monday he has concluded the charter requires elected officials to solicit resumes and follow the merit hiring process.

Two other auditor positions are funded in the office. Griffith is retaining one staffer and is scheduled to interview the other one Tuesday, he said.