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By MITCH MORRISON; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Thursday, January 05, 1995 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





WILKES-BARRE -- By mid-February as many as five candidates will have been
interviewed for county warden. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Apparently, they'll be wasting their time. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; According to three sources, the five-member Luzerne County Prison Board
already has decided who the next warden will be. The sources spoke on
condition of anonymity. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In a deal struck by the board's majority, acting warden Gene Fischi will be
named warden by the end of February, two of the sources said. They also said
the board will appoint two deputy wardens: Edwardsville Police Chief Rowland
Roberts and former state trooper Ben Grevera, who is a Nanticoke councilman. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fischi's salary will be $55,000 a year; the two deputies will collect
$47,000 apiece, the sources said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Until recently, warden Walter Sokolowski and only one deputy, Gene Fischi,
ran the $8 million operation that employs 180 workers and holds 400 inmates. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But the operation was jolted when Sokolowski landed a U.S. federal
marshal's job in September, leaving Fischi as acting warden with no support. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's when the political maneuvering began, two of the sources said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At the time, prison board members Jim Phillips and Mike Kaminski Jr. said
they favored Fischi, whom Sokolowski recommended as his successor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Frank Crossin and Tom Kowalski liked Roberts. The fifth member, Rose
Tucker, kept silent until recently when she began pulling for fellow Nanticoke
resident Ben Grevera, sources said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Phillips, a Republican, also serves as county commissioner, as do Democrats
Crossin and Tucker. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Recently, the board majority privately reached an accord: Fischi would land
the top job. In exchange, Fischi's supporters would back Grevera and Roberts
for the deputy positions, the sources said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Roberts and Grevera are strictly political," one source said of the
expected appointees. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Publicly, board members interviewed said they have not made any decisions
yet and are reviewing a list of five finalists that include Fischi, Grevera
and Roberts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "If any deal has been made, I wasn't a part of it," Tucker said. "No
decisions have been made and no interviews have been given." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Phillips also acknowledged that the board still planned to conduct
interviews. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Crossin denied any deal-making, but confirmed the board would add a second
deputy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The prison needs more management people," Crossin said Wednesday. "We need
to restructure it to make it more efficient." He said one deputy will oversee
security, while the other will manage operations such as handling service
contracts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The deputy warden post would represent a substantial pay raise for Roberts,
who now is paid $35,000 a year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He said he has not been approached by any board members about the job. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "You know more than me. I haven't heard a thing about it since I put in my
resume," Roberts said Wednesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fischi echoed Roberts' comments. Grevera could not be reached for comment
Wednesday. A message was left with a relative. Grevera has an unlisted number. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gene Fischi &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Fischi Will Be Named Warden, Sources Say 
Prison Board Also Will Appoint Edwardsville 
Police Chief Rowland Roberts And Nanticoke 
Councilman Ben Grevera As Deputy Wardens, Say 
Same Sources

Fischi Will Be Named Warden, Sources Say Prison Board Also Will Appoint Edwardsville Police Chief Rowland Roberts And Nanticoke Councilman Ben Grevera As Deputy Wardens, Say Same Sources