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Defenses dominated what was supposed to be a super shootout

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Free Luzerne County online tool created to search old deeds

<p>A law firm retained by Luzerne County is still performing its review of election director Marisa Crispell&#8217;s participation in two advisory board trips funded by the company that sold the county its electronic poll books.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re hoping to receive the results soon,&#8221; county Manager C. David Pedri said Sunday.</p><p>When the firm&#8217;s report is complete, the administration will review it and provide as much information to the public as possible by law, Pedri said.</p><p>County Chief Solicitor Romilda Crocamo selected the Harrisburg firm McNees Wallace &amp; Nurick LLC to complete the investigation. In a contract approved in December, the firm was paid a $20,000 retainer, although the county will be reimbursed if expenses are less.</p><p>The firm is reviewing Crispell&#8217;s two 2017 Election Systems &amp; Software (ES&amp;S)-funded advisory board trips to Las Vegas and Omaha, Nebraska, where the company is based.</p><p>Crispell has said her advisory participation was cleared by county assistant solicitor Michael Butera and Administrative Services Division Head David Parsnik and that she stepped down from the advisory role in fall 2017 before the county sought proposals from companies interested in supplying the poll books in January 2018.</p><p>ES&amp;S, which ended up receiving the $325,000 electronic poll book contract, covered travel, lodging for two nights and meals for the trips. The company had supplied the county&#8217;s electronic voting machines years before Crispell was hired and is now among companies interested in providing new voting machines with a paper trail being mandated by the state.</p><p>Several council members have said Crispell recommended switching to poll books and should have informed council of her advisory board role before they voted.</p><p><strong>Raises</strong></p><p>Crispell received a 1 percent raise as part of <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/732193/raises-released-for-non-union-luzerne-county-employees" target="_blank">merit-based increases Pedri released last week</a>, which brings her compensation to $54,096.</p><p>Pedri had provided raises of up to 3 percent to non-union workers under his supervision based on performance evaluations.</p><p>In comparison, deputy election director Mary Beth Steininger received a 2.5 percent increase, raising her compensation to $43,076.</p><p>Parsnik also received a 2.5 percent raise, for a new salary of $89,093.</p><p>No raise was listed for Butera.</p><p>Pedri said he cannot discuss the rationale for specific individual raises due to personnel confidentiality. The evaluations considered employees&#8217; overall job performance, including assessments of the following, he has said: job skills and knowledge, accountability, collaboration, communication, values, service, organization, initiative, problem-solving, leadership and goal-achievement.</p><p><strong>Investments</strong></p><p>The county is seeking entities interested in handling the short-term investment of funds that are not immediately needed to cover bills, such as real estate tax receipts paid earlier in the year.</p><p>&#8221;As discussed, it is the hope of county administration that these investments will increase revenue into the county budget,&#8221; Pedri told council in an email about the public request for proposals, which is posted in the purchasing section at <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/bids.aspx?bidID=150" target="_blank">www.luzernecounty.org</a>.</p><p>Under an investment policy approved by council, chosen investments must guarantee the county money is safe and can be extracted without penalties if an emergency arises. Interested entities must respond by Feb. 8.</p><p><strong>Tax diversion</strong></p><p>A committee reviewing a possible tax diversion project has not had any meeting activity in recent months, council Chairman Tim McGinley recently told his colleagues.</p><p>McGinley is among several taxing body representatives serving on a committee developing a proposed tax diversion plan related to the former Valley Crest Nursing Home property in Plains Township. The taxing bodies would have to approve the plan to participate.</p><p>According to McGinley, the proposal is awaiting state action on grant funding requests.</p><p>Valley Crest site developers are seeking reconfiguration of a congested stretch of Route 315 near the Cross Valley Expressway needed to proceed with a $100 million commercial development project at the 62.3-acre former Valley Crest site. Under diversion programs, all real estate taxes are paid, but the revenue is temporarily applied to public infrastructure work instead of going to taxing bodies.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Pedri3cmyk.jpeg-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pedri </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Pedri3cmyk.jpeg-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Pedri </caption0><photoCredit0></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>

Internal review of Luzerne County election trips still underway