Adam Bonin

The special election is Nov. 4. Voters will also choose in a special election for clerk of judicial records.

Brenda Sacco, the confirmed replacement for ex-Lackawanna County commissioner Matt McGloin, said Wednesday she won’t run in the Nov. 4 special election for commissioner if there is one.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Friday morning approved Lackawanna County and County Commissioner Bill Gaughan's request for an emergency order preventing the appointment of a new commissioner to replace Matt McGloin, who resigned in February.

Lackawanna County Commissioner Matt McGloin's resignation in February touched off a complex, monthslong replacement battle that has been one of the dominant Northeast Pennsylvania political stories of 2025.

Lackawanna County and County Commissioner Bill Gaughan asked the state Supreme Court on Wednesday to block county common pleas judges from choosing former Commissioner Matt McGloin's replacement on Thursday.

The Lackawanna County Democratic Party wants the county court of common pleas to prevent a special election to choose a replacement for former Commissioner Matt McGloin, who resigned in February.

Lackawanna County and Commissioner Bill Gaughan asked the state Supreme Court to allow county judges to replace resigned commissioners without political parties having a direct say.

The lawyer for Lackawanna County and Commissioner Bill Gaughan says Supreme Court should settle the way to replace ex-commissioner Matt McGloin.

Matt McGloin resigned as a commissioner almost two months ago. A three-judge panel listed to arguments Tuesday on how to replace him by lawyers for the county, commissioners Bill Gaughan and Chris Chermak and the county Democratic Party. The judges did not immediately decide.

Six weeks after Commissioner Matt McGloin resigned, county judges still haven't picked a replacement. Unhappy his suggested replacement was ignored, Commissioner Bill Gaughan wants the judges to start a new selection process that would upend the traditional way of filling commissioner vacancies.