A Lackawanna County employee suspended for publicly wishing an assassin killed ex-President Donald Trump returned to work Monday.
Community relations manager Rick Notari, 53, served a 10-day suspension without pay, County Commissioner Bill Gaughan confirmed. Commissioner Matt McGloin confirmed Notari’s return.
Calling the suspension “a personnel matter,” Gaughan and McGloin said they would have no further comment. They would not answer why they decided to reinstate Notari rather than fire him.
Efforts to reach Commissioner Chris Chermak were unsuccessful.
Gaughan, McGloin and Notari are Democrats, Chermak is a Republican.
The commissioners unanimously suspended Notari indefinitely on July 15 for posting on X that he wished a would-be assassin's bullet killed Trump on July 13 in Butler.
Notari replied to a post by an NFL Network host who praised Secret Service, called for prosecuting the guilty and asked for prayers for everyone in Butler.
"It's a shame the guy missed," Notari commented.
Notari submitted his resignation as an Old Forge councilman on July 19, and the borough council accepted his resignation at a meeting July 23, Council President Russell Rinaldi said Tuesday.
The council issued a statement condemning Notari's comment on July 17. The statement calls the comment "inappropriate" and said the council doesn't condone it. The statement repeats President Joe Biden's condemnation.
"There is no place in American for this kind of violence or any violence ever. Period," Biden said.
Biden and numerous other elected officials from both parties and leaders worldwide denounced the attack on Trump, whose upper right ear was struck, bloodying him.
A government sniper shot and killed the would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, a nursing home dietary aide from Bethel Park, south of Pittsburgh. Other shots killed Corey Comparatore, 50, a firefighter from Sarver, and seriously wounded David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township.
Notari went to work for the county in March 2012. His salary is $54,308.
Rinaldi said the council will interview potential replacements and choose Notari's replacement at a meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 20 at the borough building.
