web1_Wilkes-Barre_-_Scranton_Penguins.jpg

Jake Guentzel’s hat trick leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins over Springfield

web1_TTL122816Laflin3.jpg

Laflin council reverses course, passes budget with no tax increase

<p>Luzerne County Councilwoman Kathy Dobash publicly criticized the recent hiring of the county manager&#8217;s father to a position in Hazleton.</p><p>&#8220;It has the appearance of favors,&#8221; Dobash said during Tuesday&#8217;s council meeting, describing it as &#8220;trading for county jobs between friends and family friends.&#8221;</p><p>Dobash, who attended the meeting by phone, said she learned through media reports that county Manager C. David Pedri&#8217;s father, Charles, was hired by the Hazleton mayor to a new $36,000-a-year position overseeing the code enforcement office and other supervisory duties. Some of this work previously was handled by Jim Ferry, who was hired as county planning/zoning director April 1.</p><p>The elder Pedri was sentenced to four years of probation in October for stealing $105,586 held in an escrow account during his former position as Hazle Township solicitor. His law license also was suspended, and court documents indicate he has repaid the funds.</p><p>C. David Pedri, who did not attend Tuesday&#8217;s council meeting, said Dobash&#8217;s &#8220;statements and innuendos are false.&#8221;</p><p>Pedri said he has &#8220;absolutely no power&#8221; over hiring in Hazleton or his father&#8217;s &#8220;pursuits in this next chapter of his career.&#8221;</p><p>His decision to hire Ferry for the county position was made nine months ago after following the county&#8217;s merit hiring process, he said. A panel of employees interviewed several applicants and recommended Ferry as the top finalist, and Pedri did not participate in the screening process, he has said.</p><p>Ferry also had his law license suspended in 2007 when he previously worked as an attorney based on his alleged mishandling of several cases in his private practice, but Pedri has said the suspension was irrelevant because Ferry wasn&#8217;t being hired as a county lawyer. Ferry also has said he did not believe issues involving his work in a different career years ago should be held against him for county employment.</p><p>Pedri said the comments made by Dobash at Tuesday&#8217;s meeting were a &#8220;personal attack.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;This is another attempt by Councilwoman Dobash to impede the progress that Luzerne County has been making,&#8221; Pedri said.</p><p>Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat said Tuesday night he supported Charles Pedri&#8217;s hiring because he is a licensed building code officer and has more than 30 years of experience in building codes and legal matters. Pedri is performing work previously handled by three employees, Cusat said.</p><p>&#8220;It was a no-brainer for me. The city has a great asset in him,&#8221; Cusat said.</p><p>Cusat said he advertised the position earlier this year but decided to hold off until the 2017 budget was firmed up. The leading applicant in the first round of advertising wanted $70,000, an assistant, a take-home vehicle, large office and five weeks of vacation, Cusat said. Pedri applied both times and was the only applicant when the position was advertised the second time, he said.</p><p>Cusat said he knew Pedri through his work as an attorney, but they are not personal friends. Pedri is not precluded from holding the city position due to his criminal record, the mayor said.</p><p>&#8220;America was made on giving people second chances. He faced the judicial system and paid his debt to society,&#8221; Cusat said.</p><p>In other business Tuesday, the county council voted to:</p><p>&#8226; Approve a $194,274 contract with Hamburg-based Cougle&#8217;s Recycling Inc. and County Waste of Pennsylvania, of Clifton Park, New York, to provide trash removal and recycling services the next three years. The annual cost breakdown: 2017, $62,853; 2018, $64,739; and 2019, $66,681.</p><p>Three companies had submitted proposals to handle the work, and the administration said the joint Cougle&#8217;s/County Waste proposal was ranked the highest in qualifications and lowest in price..</p><p>&#8226; Continue leasing magisterial district court office space on Carverton Road in Kingston Township from the municipality, which will be paid the following monthly amounts: 2017, $2,365; 2018, $2,389; and 2019, $2,413.</p><p>&#8226; Enter into memorandums of understanding with the Luzerne Conservation District for the agency to continue handling West Nile Virus spraying and take over administration of the Farmland Preservation Program, which was previously managed by the county planning/zoning office.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_Pedri.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Charles Pedri leaves federal court in Scranton in October after receiving probation for theft. He recently was hired for a Hazleton city government position. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_Pedri.jpg</photo0><caption0>Charles Pedri leaves federal court in Scranton in October after receiving probation for theft. He recently was hired for a Hazleton city government position. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Government job for Luzerne County manager’s father questioned