A new Luzerne County deputy coroner position funded in the county’s 2017 budget has been publicly advertised to solicit applicants.
County Coroner William Lisman had argued the additional help is needed largely due to the record number of drug overdose death cases. The county had 132 confirmed drug overdose deaths this year to date as of Dec. 23, compared to a previous 2015 high of 95 deaths. Several more suspected overdose cases are pending confirmation.
Lisman also has said he believes he’s the only coroner in the state without a chief deputy to provide coverage support and told the county council he wants to share his decades of institutional knowledge with someone else so the county isn’t in a bind when he eventually leaves the position.
The new deputy position pays $48,000, and Lisman expected most, if not all, of the expense to be offset by spending cuts and new revenue from a planned cremation permit fee increase.
According to the job posting on the open positions page at www.luzernecounty.org:
The chief deputy coroner must be capable of handling death investigations and all other coroner duties and will supervise the office if the coroner is absent.
The new deputy must be on call at all times unless an absence is granted by the coroner. The chosen person must live in the county or within a 25-minute drive to the Wyoming Valley, have a vehicle and equipment necessary to remove bodies from a death scene and be physically capable of removing bodies, the posting said.
Investigating unclaimed bodies is another duty of the deputy. The new hire must perform thorough searches to identify and seek the next of kin or other parties holding a legal interest in the deceased.
The county is seeking applicants with a bachelor’s degree and a minimum six years of experience in a coroner’s office, including direct involvement in the investigation of at least 50 suspicious deaths that had a final ruling of homicide or suicide, the posting said. However, any equivalent combination of education, training and work experience may be considered.
Applications are due Jan. 3.
A new $60,000-a-year divorce master position in the courts also has been posted.
Court officials created the position to process divorce cases in-house instead of relying on independent contractor attorneys, in part due to concerns these outside lawyers must be reclassified as county employees subject to withholding taxes.
Masters are attorneys who preside over initial court matters to free up county judges to focus on other cases. Judges take over cases if they can’t be resolved at the master level.
Divorce filings are expected to increase due to a new state law that took effect this month shortening the length of separation required before entering into a no-fault divorce from two years to one year, officials said.
Court Administrator Michael Shucosky said Friday the new master will be a full-time employee and barred from working in an outside practice. No application deadline was set because court officials will keep the position open until a suitable candidate is identified, he said.
The administration also has advertised the human services division head position vacated by Michael Donahue, who has resigned effective Jan. 4 to take a position in Wyoming County. The division head oversees aging, mental health, child welfare, veteran, drug and alcohol and mental health services.
The position is advertised at $80,000 to $90,000, and applications are due Jan. 4. Division head positions are subject to the county residency requirement adopted by council. The posting says residency must be established within six months of hire.
