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Stefanie Salavantis announced Tuesday she is resigning as Luzerne County district attorney to run for county judge.
				&ldquo;It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve the people of Luzerne County as district attorney, and I will continue to serve the public interest if elected as judge,&rdquo; she said in an announcement.
				The county&rsquo;s home rule charter says the elected district attorney must resign from office before filing a nomination petition or becoming a candidate for any other elective public office.
				Salavantis noted state law and the county charter are in conflict about whether she needed to step down, but her decision was based on her &ldquo;conscience&rdquo; instead of any legal requirement.
				&ldquo;I have always promised to put people before politics, and that is what I intend to do until my last day as district attorney and beyond,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I have too much respect for the prosecutors, detectives, and employees of the office but more importantly, victims and their families, to let my campaign become a distraction to the efficient administration of justice.&rdquo;
				Salavantis said she will resign as district attorney following the petition circulation process and becoming an official candidate on the primary election ballot. March 9 is the last day for primary election candidates to circulate and file their nomination petitions.
				&ldquo;This timeline will allow for a seamless transition of power to my replacement, and I have no doubt that they will continue the great work that has become a hallmark of the Luzerne County District Attorney&rsquo;s Office,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Law Enforcement, the Office of District Attorney and the citizens of Luzerne County deserve a well thought out transition that puts their safety and security first.&rdquo;
				A 38-year-old Republican, Salavantis is in the second year of her third, four-year term as elected district attorney. The home rule charter limits the district attorney to three terms.
				District attorney vacancy
				With the district attorney&rsquo;s resignation announced, county Court of Common Pleas President Judge Michael T. Vough explained the process for filling the vacancy.
				The court will publicly seek applicants from attorneys interested in filling the remainder of the unexpired district attorney term through January 2024, he said.
				Judges would then select someone.
				However, there&rsquo;s another outcome that may be at play due to proposed state legislation that would require automatic appointment of the sitting First Assistant District Attorney to the vacancy, Vough said. This legislation passed the state Senate but not the House, he said.
				If this legislation becomes law before the county court appoints a district attorney, county First Assistant District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce would automatically take the seat.
				No matter which outcome, the district attorney seat would not be on the ballot for county voters to decide until 2023, Vough said.
				The home rule charter says a county council majority fills the county controller and district attorney offices if they become vacant, but Vough said there is clear case law that a district attorney vacancy must be filled by the court. There also is no requirement to select another Republican, he said.
				The charter also indicates the vacancy would be placed on the ballot sooner than 2023 due to the amount of time remaining in the term. Vough said he is confident state law supersedes this charter wording and requires the court to fill the position through the entire term if the state law requiring appointment of the first assistant does not pass.
				County voters will select nominees for two vacant county judge seats in the May 18 primary election, with the winning nominees advancing to the November general.
				One seat is open because Judge Thomas Burke will reach the mandatory 75 retirement age this December, Vough said. The second opening stems from Judge William Amesbury&rsquo;s decision to retire and transition to senior judge status last month.
				Both judge seats would be on the ballot for full 10-year terms, Vough said.
				Salavantis is the third person to start a campaign for the open seats, with Magisterial District Judge Alexandra Kokura Kravitz and West Pittston attorney Laura Dennis having previously announced candidacies.
				Salavantis&rsquo; background
				Salavantis was last elected district attorney in 2019, running unopposed. Salavantis faced Democratic competition in both prior races &mdash; Vito DeLuca in 2015 and then-incumbent Jackie Musto Carroll in 2011.
				In her most recent 2019 campaign, Salavantis stressed her office remains tough on crime but also seeks ways to help rehabilitate people, including those with substance use disorder.
				Under her leadership, the office created specialized units and assumed full control of the drug task force. She also established the county&rsquo;s first ever confidential investigative grand jury to gather evidence from witnesses fearful of retaliation in cases involving gangs, drugs, domestic violence and child abuse, she has said.
				Before her election to county office, Salavantis had worked in private legal practice and an associate of Wilkes-Barre Attorney Robert Panowicz and his law firm.
				A Dallas High School graduate, Salavantis graduated from Temple University and obtained her law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan.
				Born and raised in the county, Salavantis said her experience in civil law as well as more than nine years as the county&rsquo;s top prosecutor makes her uniquely qualified to join the bench in the county.
				&ldquo;Since I first took my oath as an attorney and then continually as Luzerne County District Attorney, I have never wavered in the pursuit of justice whatever the costs may be,&rdquo; she wrote. &ldquo;Each day that I have walked into the courthouse, I have been singularly focused on speaking up for victims and holding people accountable so that every person in this community can sleep at night comfortably assured that justice is administered fairly in Luzerne County.&rdquo;
				Salavantis acknowledged that her decision to run for judge was &ldquo;bittersweet.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;It has been an honor to work every day to protect the people of Luzerne County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,&rdquo; she wrote. &ldquo;However, I am ready and eager to serve as judge because I truly believe that it offers opportunities to improve both the civil and criminal justice systems without abandoning my life&rsquo;s work as a public servant.&rdquo;
				Salavantis resides in Kingston with her husband and daughter.

Salavantis to resign as DA to run for county judge