Nine Luzerne County government workers hired in December
Nine Luzerne County government workers were hired in December, while 16 left county employment, according to the new monthly personnel report.
The new employees, along with their positions and hourly compensation: Jacquelyn Boltz and Esther Williams, Aging Agency alternate food service workers, $14.42; Kyle Franceski, part-time assistant public defender, $40.91; Amanda Latoski, election bureau poll worker trainer/coordinator, $17.95; Shannon Perez, Aging Agency alternate senior center operator, $16.66; Thomas Sharkey, part-time assistant public defender, $43.59; Emekie Anthony Thomas, deputy sheriff, $15.81; Micaiah Yarosh, 911 telecommunicator, $18.15; and Mitchell O’Donnell, prison lieutenant, $30.29.
Departures
Eleven workers resigned in December, the report said: Carol Fox, Children and Youth clerk typist; Nichole Golanoski, Children and Youth caseworker 2; Qaneisha McCree and Kaila Torres, 911 telecommunicators; Thomasyna Miskewicz, public defender clerk; Rhadil Henriquez, district attorney clerk; Chris Dalessandro, budget/finance deputy director; Tyler Jones and Mark Regan, deputy sheriffs; Kyle Scanlon, assistant district attorney; and Gregory Kurtz, operational services division head.
Five employees were listed under terminations. The termination of three engineers — Lawrence Plesh, Gregory Parrs and Edgar Stark — stemmed from an engineering department restructuring that eliminated engineer positions in exchange for new project management ones. The other listed terminations were prison nurse Justin Louis Hillard and human resources generalist Ashley Parlante.
Transfers
Seven workers changed positions through the internal merit hiring process, the report said.
These employees, their new jobs and hourly compensation: Dawn Louise Elmy, prothonotary clerk 5, $20.44; Christopher Halecki, 911 training and protocol supervisor, $28.72; Roseann Gorey Lewis, Aging Agency care manager supervisor, $23.79; Mark Majikes, community development deputy director, $33.33; Emily Monelli, deputy assessment director, $25.64; Kristen Rowlands, 911 quality assurance officer, $28.97; and Beverly Shelley, budget/finance payroll supervisor, $25.64.
Monday holiday
Non-emergency county government offices are closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Mail ballots
The county election bureau recently sent 2024 mail ballot applications to 51,876 county voters who had checked a box to be placed on a permanent mailing list when they initially applied for a mail ballot. As required by state legislation, the county must sent mail ballot applications to these voters at the start of each year.
Voters who complete and return applications will automatically receive mail ballots for all elections this year.
The printing and mailing of the applications was handled in-house, and some voters with last names starting with the letters A and B may have received an extra notice due to a printing machine lapse caused by the size of the file, said county Deputy Election Director Emily Cook.
The bureau said this is not an issue — even if a voter returns a second application — because each voter can only receive one mail ballot as tracked through a unique bar code.
Ballot printing
The county extended the deadline one week for outside companies interested in printing ballots and preparing and delivering mail ballot packets to voters.
Proposals originally were due Jan. 12. The new deadline is at 4 p.m. on Jan. 19.
County Acting Administrative Services Division Head Michel Sparich said the deadline was extended to allow more time for interested responders to submit proposals.
The county wants a base agreement for 2024 elections and possibly an additional one-year extension, according to the posting under the purchasing department section at luzernecounty.org.
The state has redesigned mail ballot materials to reduce voter errors and confusion, starting with the 2024 primary election.
These changes include more understandable instructions, highlighting of fields the voters must complete on the outer envelope and coloring to make it easier for voters to distinguish the outer return envelope and inner secrecy envelope that must contain the ballot.
Counties also will have discretion to use a hole punch in the outer return envelope to help county election workers identify when an inner secrecy envelope is missing.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo told the county election board last month the county is seeking pricing on all state changes, including the hole punch. That information can then be used to decide if the hole-punch option should be pursued, she had said.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.