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Seven area attorneys admitted to federal bar

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Air Force donates to Toys for Tots

<p>The boss is in and his door is open.</p><p>Luzerne County workers heard that declaration straight from the horse&#8217;s mouth last week, as C. David Pedri, the county&#8217;s new acting manager, gave what amounted to a dawn-of-a-new-day pep talk.</p><p>A county council majority picked Pedri to temporarily handle the top administrative post while a hunt continues to find a replacement for Robert Lawton, whose resignation took effect at the end of December. Pedri, the county&#8217;s chief solicitor, wasted no time in making it clear he doesn&#8217;t intend to act like an unmotivated substitute teacher &#8211; just biding the hours until relieved of the assignment.</p><p>He also proclaimed there would be a sea change in how subordinates hear from the person occupying the manager&#8217;s office. &#8220;The reason why I wanted to have this speech here is because the days of communication with county management via email blast are over,&#8221; Pedri said during his brief address Friday in the courthouse rotunda. &#8220;I want everybody to understand that I&#8217;m available.&#8221;</p><p>For county staffers, those words should not only invigorate, but also inspire new action.</p><p>Let&#8217;s face it: Management in most workplaces doesn&#8217;t have a reputation for soliciting, much less routinely acting upon, suggestions from the rank-and-file, especially when money gets tight. And for Luzerne County government in the 21st century, money has been, and will continue to be, rusted-bolt tight. So it&#8217;s encouraging, inspiring even, to hear Pedri say that one of his goals will be to directly receive workers&#8217; input.</p><p>&#8220;I know you know that we can do better here,&#8221; Pedri told his audience.</p><p>Luzerne County&#8217;s government workers, particularly those veterans who in the past decade have endured too much turmoil and uncertainty on the job, would be doing themselves &#8211; and our community &#8211; a big favor by capitalizing on this opportunity to be heard. They, in all likelihood, can see ways to save time and resources, while still achieving the desired results. They know best what works and what is a gigantic waste. (By contrast, even well-intentioned council members and other observers, including the Times Leader&#8217;s opinion board, can&#8217;t truly understand what goes on in the trenches.)</p><p>Perhaps Pedri is merely paying lip service as he jockeys for the job permanently; more likely, he&#8217;s sincere about starting this new year with a new attitude.</p><p>In any case, a jolt of energy combined with a renewed sense of shared responsibility can do wonders in the workplace. Let&#8217;s hope it catches on across the county&#8217;s departments.</p><p>&#8220;This is our chance, fellow county employees,&#8221; Pedri said to his colleagues. &#8220;Let&#8217;s really do something.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Pedri </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Pedri.jpg</photo0><caption0>Pedri </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>

Our Opinion: Interim boss offers sympathetic ear to Luzerne County workers, who’d be wise to speak up