Lackawanna County’s common pleas court judges will conduct interviews to fill a county commissioner vacancy after the Democratic Party submits three names again.
In an order signed by President Judge Trish Corbett, the judges gave the party until Tuesday to submit the names of candidates to replace former Commissioner Matt McGloin.
Corbett issued the order even though county Democratic Party Chairman Chris Patrick submitted three names last Friday.
Corbett said the court considers McGloin’s resignation effective Thursday, March 6.
“They would have to re-submit the names by Tuesday,” but whether they submit the same names is up to the party, she said.
“We accepted his resignation today,” Corbett said Thursday.
The county Democratic Party executive committee voted overwhelmingly Feb. 27 to recommend the judges choose from among former county planning and economic development director Brenda Sacco, Olyphant Council President James Baldan and Scranton School Director Bob Casey. Patrick submitted the names to the county court last Friday, Feb. 28.
It wasn’t clear if the party can just re-submit the same names without redoing its process.
Court Administrator Frank Castellano referred the questions to Patrick.
“We can’t give legal advice to the Democratic Party,” he said. “I can’t speak to what his interpretation is.”
In a text, Patrick said he’s aware of the court order but declined to comment on what's next.
The county home rule charter says the political party of a county commissioner who leaves office has five days to recommend three potential replacements.
Based on advice from county solicitor Don Frederickson, Patrick said he began the process to replace McGloin, which ended with the recommendation of the three names.
On Thursday, hours before the party chose its three candidates, Frederickson wrote a letter to the court that said the resignation would not take effect until the remaining commissioners, Bill Gaughan and Chris Chermak, voted to accept it.
Gaughan and Chermak voted to do that Wednesday.
In an interview earlier this week, Patrick said Frederickson never told him he had to wait until the commissioners accepted the resignation.
Frederickson said Thursday he only told Patrick the party had five days from “the date of the vacancy” to name potential replacements.
“What his interpretation was, I don’t know,” he said. “I didn’t tell him whether to have a meeting.”
Patrick said earlier this week he anticipated having to re-submit the names based on the resignation’s acceptance by the commissioners.
