While he’s still officially on the job two more weeks, Luzerne County Manager C. David Pedri publicly said goodbye during his last county council meeting Tuesday.
“What a privilege it has been to serve in this capacity,” said Pedri, who accepted a position overseeing the Luzerne Foundation. “Having the ability to work in my home county, where I choose to raise my children, has been the highlight of my career.”
When he took the job as the county’s second permanent manager under home rule “five short and long years ago,” Pedri said he indicated the county was entering the second phase of the customized government structure that took effect in 2012.
The first was prior manager Robert Lawton and the initial 11-member council “taking us through the crisis” of implementing home rule changes, he said.
During his tenure, Pedri said he worked with council to fix “our financial house,” ending deficits and securing the highest credit rating in county history — an A- from Standard & Poor’s.
Job creation is “through the roof,” to the degree that employers are “dying for workers,” he said.
Real estate is getting snatched up in response, Pedri said. As proof, he said later that five people separately approached his family about making purchase offers while they were recently cleaning out a deceased relative’s Hazleton residence, with no for-sale sign posted.
The county also addressed many neglected maintenance needs, replacing boilers and roofs, restoring the historic courthouse and fixing some roads and bridges, he said.
“We changed out the electrical switchgear in the courthouse from the 1950s Frankenstein panel into a modern one,” Pedri told council. “Anybody who owns a house knows that an ounce of prevention saves a pound’s worth of trouble, and we’ve done these things now so that now act three can come into play.”
Pedri said he now hands the ball to council and the next county manager. Chief Solicitor Romilda Crocamo was named acting manager Tuesday, and council plans to appoint citizen volunteer applicants to a new manager search committee next week.
He also commended division heads and the rest of the workforce. Council members he’s worked with, critics or not, are “trying to do the best thing for the county,” he said.
“We didn’t agree on everything, but we agreed on many things, and we got so many things accomplished here,” Pedri told council.
More reflection
In a follow-up interview Wednesday, Pedri said he doesn’t view his relationship with council as contentious and said most of his proposals were approved.
“We got a lot accomplished over the last five years, and we couldn’t do that without cooperation,” said the 41-year-old Butler Township resident. “For the most part they supported me. Of course I’m not going to get everything I want. What executive does?”
He started contemplating a career change after council rejected raises for non-union workers in the 2021 budget, saying he thought increases were deserved for workers who “killed themselves” sustaining operations throughout the coronavirus pandemic. That said, he stressed he understands council members rightfully have their own viewpoints and priorities on what’s best for the county.
The most difficult part of the job, he said: Keeping tabs on 1,400 employees in more than 30 departments that provide services to over 320,000 residents spread out over a county about the size of Rhode Island.
“It’s a small corporation,” Pedri said.
Initially, he charged in as manager, intent on rapidly making changes “all over the place.” Over time, he said he learned to surround himself with “some great managers” and rely more on their feedback and specialized expertise to make incremental improvements that often lead to bigger ones. He recommends this approach to his successor but cautioned it’s still crucial to maintain a “complete understanding” of finances and operations and be prepared to explain them to the public.
A regret is not being around to help decide how the county will use its $112.89 million allocation from the American Rescue Plan, he said.
This funding will be an opportunity for the next manager and council to “make a huge impact on our community,” Pedri said. More detailed federal rules on how the money can be spent are expected in August, and the administration plans to present a proposal to council for its consideration and approval. Some council members also have started pitching their own ideas on how the money should be spent.
Pedri also wishes the county had fewer election issues, although he believes the county is on a path to continued improvements in that area.
Looking back, Pedri said he will always remember the awe he saw in faces when the restored courthouse rotunda was unveiled, the thousands of residents enjoying the “Rockin’ the River” concert series he co-founded at the River Common and positive reactions citizens conveyed about the county’s direction.
“I think my job was to leave the county better than I found it and start setting up the future for success,” Pedri said. “I just feel like Luzerne County is about to be in a position where it’s really going to succeed.”