`missing' Man Turns Up At Home

Assault Reported

By MITCH MORRISON; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Friday, December 24, 1993 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A QUICK WORDS: TORBIK BECOMES OFFICIAL
MEDIA CHIEF FOR DIKE PROJECT 





WILKES-BARRE -- Jim Torbik is no longer the contracted spokesman for the
county dike-raising project. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He's the Wyoming Valley Levee Raising Project liaison/community
relations/public information officer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The county will pay the former editor of the Sunday Independent $38,000 a
year plus the standard county benefit package worth more than $5,000. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On Thursday, Democratic Commissioners Frank Crossin and Rose Tucker favored
the deal, while Republican colleague Jim Phillips dissented, saying the salary
was disproportionately high in comparison to other department heads. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As part of the promotion, the commissioners attached a 26-point job
description -- but that hardly satisfied Phillips. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Our purchasing agent who has been here much longer only makes $23,000 a
year," Phillips said in reference to Russ Arnone. Phillips agreed the levee
job was necessary but said Torbik deserved between $25,000 and $30,000
annually. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Crossin defended the salary, saying, "A purchasing agent doesn't need
the (same) level of expertise." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's very important to get this job done properly and accurately. ... Our
county engineer doesn't have the wherewithal to handle that on a full-time
basis," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tucker agreed. "There are numerous pieces to it. It's not just a community
relations person." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The announcement comes one month after The Times Leader reported that
Torbik stood to earn $45,000 a year as a contracted worker, contradicting an
earlier statement by commissioners that Torbik would collect about $20,000. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A review of Torbik's time sheets last month showed he earned $11,632.50 in
three months as spokesman for the $125 million dike-raising project. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A flabbergasted Phillips then said he and Tucker favored capping Torbik's
salary, as well as requiring him to elaborate on his daily workload as part of
his consulting bill. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As a full-time employee, Torbik no longer will be required to file a
consulting bill. Rather, he's expected to work a minimum 32.5 hours a week,
interfacing with as many as 51 communities in five counties as to how the dike
project affects them. He'll also publish newsletters and update the media and
the public with progress reports. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The job description should take care of the question of exactly what was
he doing," Crossin said after the commissioners meeting. "We're pretty
satisfied that this puts this issue to a close."

Torbik Becomes Official Media Chief For Dike Project 
He's Got A New Title 
That's A Mouthful, And A 
New Salary Commissioner 
Jim Phillips Says Is A 
Pocketful

Torbik Becomes Official Media Chief For Dike Project He's Got A New Title That's A Mouthful, And A New Salary Commissioner Jim Phillips Says Is A Pocketful