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Eighteen people — 10 Democrats and eight Republicans — responded to Luzerne County’s plea for election board applicants due to recent vacancies that have halted its operation.

Council Vice Chairman Chris Perry acknowledged the volume of applicants during a required public interview session Monday night, thanking the citizens for volunteering their time. Council’s Authorities, Boards and Commissions (ABC) Committee, which he chairs, spent more than two hours asking them basic questions.

The five-member election board is inactive because four of five seats are vacant.

Council is set to select two Republicans and one Democrat Tuesday night. Those three must then join the remaining council-appointed member — Democrat Audrey Serniak — in selecting a new fifth member/chair from any political party or no affiliation.

Applicants shared similar reasons for seeking a board seat Monday, including a desire to restore public trust, be more efficient and proactive and ensure elections are fair and honest.

Some said they were compelled to offer their services as a civic duty, confident their professional skills and experiences could help with election issues.

However, not all applicants interviewed Monday will be eligible under the county’s strict home rule charter provisions for the election board.

It’s the same home rule section that prevented county Councilman Stephen J. Urban from serving on the board. Council voted last week to vacate election board seats held by Urban and the two fellow Republican board members — Joyce Dombroski-Gebhardt and Keith Gould — who appointed Urban chair against county Chief Solicitor Romilda Crocamo’s warnings council members can’t serve on that board.

Under this charter section, appointees also are ineligible for the election board if they are or have been the following within the past four years: a county employee, a member/employee of any other county authority/board/commission, an elected public official or public employee, an employee or someone compensated by any individual or business serving as a contractor to the county or any county authority/board/commission, a paid consultant for the county or any county authority/board/commission or an officer in a political party.

Based on information presented in Monday’s interviews (resumes were not publicly released), a number of applicants may meet those conditions.

Urban pointed out some examples of disqualifying employment during the interviews. Perry said the law office will be reviewing all resumes and backgrounds.

Crocamo said her office has started its review of all interviewed applicants and will complete it before council’s Tuesday vote.

In addition to the three vacancies declared last week, the second council-appointed Democrat election board seat was vacant because Peter Ouellette recently resigned.

<strong>Republicans</strong>

Eight Republicans applied for the party’s two open seats.

These applicants along with some basic information they presented during interviews:

• Missy Thomas, Wright Township, a clinician analyst

• William Jones, Rice Township, a snack food wholesale distribution business owner and former Crestwood School Board member through 2019.

• Lynn Bartz, Dallas, a semi-retired caregiver business owner, a former Boscov’s department store manager and chair of the party’s 117th district.

• Alyssa Fusaro, Luzerne, a medical courier and previously a branch manager for a major insurance company.

• Candice Chilek, West Pittston, a homemaker who also has worked in administrative support, as a teacher at a private school and as a restaurant owner/operator.

• Peter Bard, Hazleton, business manager at the Crestwood School District.

• Richard Nardone, Wapwallopen, a consulting business operator and pilot semi-retired after more than 40 years in human resource management, labor relations and general operations management.

• Andrew Holter, Laflin, a small business owner who has served on the county’s Blighted Property Review Committee.

<strong>Democrats</strong>

Ten Democrats applied for that party’s open seat:

• Cindy Malkemes, Dallas, a social worker currently employed as an academic counselor at Luzerne County Community College.

• Daniel Schramm, Kingston, retired with a master’s degree in computer information systems.

• Karen Metta, Nanticoke, a sales worker, prior art teacher at Nanticoke Area School for 35 years and member of the county ethics commission until her term ended around March 2020.

• Michelle Pack, Bear Creek Township, a financial services professional for New York Life who relocated here in 2019 to care for her mother.

• Mark Zara, Hanover Township, who is set to retire in three weeks from his position as a human services program representative for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Children, Youth and Families in Scranton.

• Peter Wolman, Jackson Township, who is retired after a career in health care management.

• David Newman, Wilkes-Barre, a nuclear plant senior simulator instructor at Talen Energy who also has served as a pastor.

• Kathryn Roth, Kingston, an office manager/producer at her family-owned insurance company.

• Kathleen McCarthy, Kingston, a retired Dallas School District administrator and member of the county’s volunteer Youth Aid Panel.

• Jennifer Sieminski, Forty Fort, a licensed social worker currently employed as a clinical implementation manager.

The election board serves as an independent citizen body to oversee elections, make determinations on flagged ballots and write-in votes and certify election results.

An active board will be needed later this month to approve the county’s primary election ballot.

Council’s Tuesday meeting starts at 6 p.m., with a link to attend posted in its public meetings online section at <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/1279/Public-Meetings-Online" target="_blank" rel="noopener">luzernecounty.org</a>.

A few election board applicants said they would be willing to serve on other county boards if they are not selected for their first choice.

Eighteen respond to Luzerne County’s plea for election board applicants