Dallas City News

Luzerne County Assistant Solicitor Paula Radick will be the county’s interim judicial services and records division head, county Manager Romilda Crocamo announced Wednesday.

Joan Hoggarth is retiring from the division head position effective May 20.

This division head oversees the deeds, wills, sheriff, coroner and civil/criminal court records departments in addition to the county records storage facility in Hanover Township.

A Hazle Township resident, Radick is a graduate of MMI Preparatory School, King’s College and the Dickinson School of Law, Crocamo said.

Radick has largely handled election board matters in her current position as assistant solicitor in the county law office.

Crocamo said Radick has experience working with the offices under the judicial services division, including those handling deeds and the civil and criminal court records.

She also has trial experience in both state and federal courts, Crocamo said.

Radick previously worked in both the public and private law sectors, including positions in the county District Attorney’s Office and as a law clerk in federal magistrate court in Pennsylvania’s Middle District and the county Court of Common Pleas, Crocamo said.

In her community service role, Radick serves on the Hazleton Public Library and Hazleton Art League boards.

A Hanover Township resident, Hoggarth has the longest tenure of the eight division heads.

She was hired as division head in May 2013, which was a little over a year after the January 2012 implementation of the home rule government structure.

Under the county’s home rule charter, interim division heads can serve 90 days in each calendar year.

Crocamo said she will soon advertise the division head position.

Council confirmation is required for the manager’s division head nominees to be hired. The county has eight division heads.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.