Hazleton resident urges Democratic Luzerne County Council replacement for Schnee

Hazleton resident Bob Stevens is asking Luzerne County Council to fill Robert Schnee’s vacant council seat with a Democrat, preferably one from the county’s southern half, according to a public comment letter Stevens submitted for Tuesday’s council meeting.

Schnee, of Sugarloaf Township, left council to serve as a state representative, and council is scheduled to declare the seat vacant on Tuesday.

Council will publicly seek applicants from citizens interested in filling Schnee’s seat through 2023, but it has not yet specified whether his replacement will be a Democrat or Republican.

Schnee was elected as a Democrat in 2019 but subsequently changed his registration to Republican. The county’s home rule charter says the person appointed “shall be a member of the same political party as the person he/she is to succeed and shall have been a member of that party continuously from the time the person whose office is to be filled was most recently elected or appointed to the office.”

County Interim Chief Solicitor Harry W. Skene provided council with his legal opinion Friday concluding Schnee’s replacement must be a Republican dating back to November 2019, when Schnee was elected, based on the charter wording.

Stevens, who previously served as First District Democratic Chairman, said Schnee had received Democratic party support and the party’s endorsement in his council campaign and appeared on party handouts used at the polls on Election Day.

“Voters had an expectation that he would serve as a Democrat. His subsequent decision to switch party allegiance was a personal choice and irrelevant to the issue at hand. The seat is clearly and by all logic a Democrat seat and should remain so until the end of the term,” Stevens wrote.

Nine of the 10 remaining council members are Republican, with Tim McGinley as the lone Democrat. The Republican majority on council would be “overturning the will of the voters when Mr Schnee was elected” if they select a Republican replacement, Stevens said.

He also argued the will of the voters would be respected by choosing a replacement from the First District. Appointing a Democrat won’t “change the balance of power” on council because it has an “overwhelming Republican majority,” he said.

“Doing the right thing will show that council is interested in maintaining the essence of the democratic process,” Stevens wrote.

Council meeting

Tuesday’s council voting meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, with instructions for remote attendance posted under council’s online meeting link at luzernecounty.org.

Election Board

The county’s Election Board will meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday, also at the county courthouse. The virtual attendance link is available under council’s authorities, boards and commissions online meeting section at luzernecounty.org.

Council still must fill a vacant Republican seat on the five-citizen board.

As of Friday evening, the county had received three additional applications from interested Republicans, said Council Vice Chair John Lombardo.

Lombardo, chair of council’s Authorities, Boards and Commissions Committee, said he plans to schedule a meeting to publicly interview additional applicants on May 9.

The seat is open because Patrick Castellani resigned, citing concerns about mail ballot voting and drop boxes.

In addition to any new applicants, two Republicans remain on council’s eligibility list for possible appointment to the board: Richard Nardone, of Slocum Township, and Candice Chilek, of West Pittston.

Applications are available in council’s authorities, boards and commissions section at luzernecounty.org.

The volunteer citizen board oversees elections, makes determinations on flagged ballots and write-in votes and certifies election results.

Audit update

Council’s Budget, Finance and Audit Committee chaired by Councilman McGinley held a meeting last week to discuss progress in completing the county’s 2021 audit.

Bakertilly will complete the audit. Its presentation is posted with that committee’s agenda at luzernecounty.org.