Luzerne County government employees have until noon Monday to submit resumes if they are interested in serving as acting manager when C. David Pedri’s resignation takes effect July 6.
County council tentatively plans to interview acting manager applicants the following day.
Council Chairman Tim McGinley sent an email to executive branch employees earlier this week inviting them to apply.
No employees have publicly expressed a definite plan to apply for the acting manager post to date, but two said they are seriously considering their options — county Chief Solicitor Romilda Crocamo and county Administrative Services Division Head David Parsnik.
This temporary assignment may stretch over half a year because the timeline council approved Tuesday estimates a new manager won’t be hired until November or December.
The acting manager must perform the same duties of the permanent manager, overseeing day-to-day operations and budgets in more than 50 departments, approving many contracts and hiring and firing workers in most departments, excluding court branches and the controller and district attorney offices.
Presentation of a proposed 2022 budget in October also will fall under the acting manager’s responsibilities.
A past legal opinion concluded the temporary manager must be a current county employee — not someone from the outside.
Furthermore, McGinley said the employee must fall under the executive branch, which means workers in court branches and the controller and district attorney offices are excluded.
Council has not discussed any plan to offer additional compensation to temporarily take on the manager duties.
Pedri had been chief county solicitor when he accepted the acting manager assignment in January 2016.
McGinley said Pedri continued to receive his solicitor compensation but no additional stipend for the acting manager assignment. However, Pedri also took on acting duties with an interest in obtaining the permanent post.
In the present situation, it’s unclear if any workers are seriously considering both the acting and permanent positions.
McGinley said the response — or lack of — may determine whether council must consider a compensation incentive for the acting manager.
“Hopefully we’ll get interest,” he said of the application invitation.
Four county employees applied for the temporary manager post in December 2015 when prior manager Robert Lawton left — Pedri, Parsnik, then-county correctional division head J. Allen Nesbitt and county Engineer Greg Parrs.
At that time, council interviewed the four employees in a closed-door executive session, deeming it a personnel matter. Council has not determined if the interviews tentatively set for Tuesday also will be in executive session.
Council’s next regularly scheduled meeting — the only one before Pedri leaves — is on June 22.