Accompanied by five other funeral directors, Thomas Wiedlich told Luzerne County Council Tuesday he does not believe proper vetting was performed before last week’s hiring of Dion E. Fernandes as the county’s new coroner.
A Swoyersville resident, Wiedlich said he was speaking as a licensed funeral director and concerned taxpayer and also on behalf of the funeral directors who stood up to verify he was conveying their views.
He asked county council to meet with county Manager Romilda Crocamo to “re-review” the hiring.
Wiedlich said he emailed council a series of past news articles about Fernandes on Monday and read the headlines during public comment, saying these situations extend beyond Fernandes’ 2020 guilty plea to criminal mischief charges relating to the slashing of several tires on at least five vehicles in Pittston. These headlines included several referencing the 2006 firings of Fernandes as a police officer in West Pittston and Wyoming boroughs.
Fernandes, 48, spoke about the criminal plea in Pittston last week, when Crocamo announced his hiring as coroner. The tire-slashing prompted his termination as a Pittston city police officer, according to previously published reports.
Fernandes said he had a substance use disorder problem that he rectified. He completed a 30-day in-patient treatment program and also a nearly three-week post-treatment program and is nearing his five-year sobriety anniversary.
Fernandes said the 2020 incident directly stemmed from his substance use and was “not in my character.”
During Tuseday’s meeting, Wiedlich also referenced the announcement of Fernandes’ hiring, which said he attended Luzerne County Community College with studies in mortuary science and has been employed at the Howell-Lussi Funeral home in West Pittston for 18 years, serving as president for the last five years.
Wiedlich said the community college offers pre-mortuary science classes but is not a mortuary school.
“I wish to clarify for everyone, he is not a licensed funeral director,” Wiedlich said.
County funeral directors also have raised concerns in the past about employing a head coroner linked to a funeral home due to the potential conflict of interest, Wiedlich said. The county ethics code prohibits coroners, while engaged in county business, from soliciting, discussing or accepting business for a funeral home to which he or she is associated.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, Fernandes said others affiliated with funeral homes have served as county coroner in the past, and most deputy coroners are associated with funeral homes.
He insisted he would not misuse the authority of the office.
“I have an ethical obligation to uphold,” he said.
Fernandes said he never presented himself as or claimed to be a licensed funeral director.
Regarding past negative personnel actions and other published reports, Fernandes said he was open that he had problems in his past stemming from his substance use.
Fernandes said he looks forward to starting work as coroner on May 2.
Crocamo had said Fernandes “brings a wealth of experience in police investigations and a compassionate approach to serving the community during times of loss.”
Council did not respond to Wiedlich due to personnel confidentiality.
The coroner position is vacant because Jillian Matthews, who held the position since October 2022, started work Jan. 24 as the new division chief of the county district attorney’s office vice/narcotics unit.
The coroner position was advertised at $62,000 to $67,513 annually. Matthews had received $65,866 annually as coroner. Fernandes will receive $67,513 annually.
Senior field investigator/autopsy assistant Kaitlin Keating has been serving as interim coroner during the replacement search.
In other business on Tuesday, council unanimously voted to retain the Pennsylvania Economy League to prepare a new five-year financial and strategic plan.
The plan will cost $113,750, half of which will be covered by a Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development grant.