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Voters retain Luzerne County Judge Lupas for second 10-year term

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<p>Luzerne County Controller Michelle Bednar will keep her seat another four years, blocking Walter Griffith&#8217;s attempt to reclaim the office, according to unofficial results.</p><p>A 51-year-old Democrat from Conyngham Township, Bednar highlighted her orderly approach conducting in-house audits that recouped $250,000 for the county since she took over in 2014.</p><p>Griffith, a 63-year-old auto repair business owner and Republican from Kingston Township, had argued the county would benefit from his outspoken style and willingness to exercise the controller&#8217;s authority to conduct a wide range of reviews of any county department, authority, board or commission.</p><p>Bednar received 24,458 votes, or 54 percent of the ballots cast, compared to Griffith&#8217;s 20,609, or about 46 percent, according to unofficial results from all 180 precincts.</p><p>Celebrating at Cork Bar and Restaurant in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday night, Bednar thanked voters for believing in her.</p><p>&#8221;I&#8217;m humbled and thank voters who came out and supported me,&#8221; Bednar said.</p><p>Bednar said she has started establishing goals for the next four years to expand the department&#8217;s focus, reserving specifics for a future date.</p><p>&#8220;I look forward to moving our office forward. There&#8217;s much more for us to accomplish,&#8221; she said.</p><p>The controller is paid $64,999 annually and is the &#8220;independent watchdog over county fiscal and management activities,&#8221; according to the county&#8217;s home rule charter, which took effect in January 2012.</p><p>Griffith opted to monitor returns from his home.</p><p>He decided to run again because he wanted to ensure voters had a choice.</p><p>&#8220;I wish Michelle well. She did a good, clean campaign. We didn&#8217;t beat each other up, and I think that was good,&#8221; he said.</p><p>While Griffith said he had hoped to make changes &#8220;from the inside&#8221; as an elected official, he will still attend county government meetings and point out his positive and negative findings.</p><p>He also thanked the voters who supported him, noting Bednar did not win by a landslide.</p><p>&#8220;If the people want her in there, it&#8217;s perfectly fine. It doesn&#8217;t change me in any way. I&#8217;m not giving up in what I believe in, and this won&#8217;t deter me from coming out,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Even seasoned political observers were unable to confidently predict the controller race.</p><p>Griffith held the seat from 2010 until 2013, when he resigned as part of a plea agreement for allegedly recording two phone calls related to office matters and a closed-door executive session without permission of the parties involved. However, many did not view this as an impediment because he said he made a mistake in his efforts to fight for the people.</p><p>Councilman Eugene Kelleher stepped up days before the election with an ad endorsing Bednar as an &#8220;unassuming, quiet, competent public servant&#8221; who is not &#8220;egocentric, boastful or media driven.&#8221; In contrast, Councilwoman Kathy Dobash publicly supported Griffith, characterizing Bednar as a &#8220;do nothing&#8221; controller who fails to look into fiscal matters of interest to county taxpayers.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Walter Griffith talks to voter Chuck Anstett outside the Wilkes-Barre Township Municipal building before voting Tuesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL110817Electionday2ad-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Walter Griffith talks to voter Chuck Anstett outside the Wilkes-Barre Township Municipal building before voting Tuesday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL110817controller1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mechele Bednar reacts after winning the election against Walter Griffith for the Luzerne County Controller seat at the Cork Restaurant in Wilkes-Barre. She was surrounded by friends and supporters including Plains Township Commissioner Thom Chubilla, county councilman Eugene Keller Luzerne County Deputy Controller Aaron Hojnowski.  11/7/17. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL110817controller1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Mechele Bednar reacts after winning the election against Walter Griffith for the Luzerne County Controller seat at the Cork Restaurant in Wilkes-Barre. She was surrounded by friends and supporters including Plains Township Commissioner Thom Chubilla, county councilman Eugene Keller Luzerne County Deputy Controller Aaron Hojnowski.  11/7/17. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL110817controller2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Michele Bednar checks her phone for updates during the election as she talks to supporter David Popiak at Cork Restaurant in Wilkes-Barre.  11/17/17. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL110817controller2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Michele Bednar checks her phone for updates during the election as she talks to supporter David Popiak at Cork Restaurant in Wilkes-Barre.  11/17/17. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Incumbent controller keeps seat</subheadMeta></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>

Bednar fends off challenge from Griffith in Luzerne County controller race