Democratic Luzerne County Councilman Jimmy Sabatino was named the new council chair Monday night in the first official action of the reorganized 11-member legislative body that now has a Democratic majority.
Councilwoman Brittany Stephenson, also a Democrat, was named vice chair.
Four new council members were seated following a Monday evening swearing-in ceremony in the courthouse rotunda: Democrats Chris Belles, Steve Coslett, Dawn Simmons, and Denise Williams.
Incumbent John Lombardo, a Republican, also won another four-year term in the Nov. 4 general election and took the oath of office in the group event. Lombardo previously served as council chair.
Sabatino, Stephenson, and the other remaining members have two years left in their terms: Democrats Joanna Bryn Smith and Patty Krushnowski and Republicans Harry Haas and LeeAnn McDermott.
All eight Democrats supported the appointment of Sabatino as chair, while the three Republicans voted to retain Lombardo as chair.
The vote on a vice chair was split, with Krushnowski nominating Stephenson and Bryn Smith recommending Belles.
A majority of six chose Stephenson: Krushnowski, Coslett, Simmons, Williams, Sabatino, and Stephenson herself.
The four supporting Belles, in addition to his own vote, were Haas, Lombardo, McDermott, and Bryn Smith.
The chair presides over meetings, prepares meeting agendas, serves as a ceremonial head, and selects which council members serve on council committees.
Sabatino, a Butler Township resident who owns and operates two area Vesuvio’s restaurant locations with his siblings, said he was humbled by the leadership appointment and will work in a bipartisan way to the best of his abilities.
“I look forward to showing what this council can do,” Sabatino said.
After the meeting, he said he will advocate for a focus on economic and business development, government transparency and outreach, and infrastructure investment.
“This is about clearing obstacles, making smart investments, and delivering results people can see in their daily lives,” Sabatino said.
A Plymouth Township resident, Stephenson is an academic specialist for the nonprofit Educational Opportunity Centers of Pennsylvania.
“I am blessed and privileged to continue serving Luzerne County. We are open for business,” Stephenson said after the meeting.
During the swearing-in ceremony, Lombardo said he was inspired by the bipartisanship demonstrated when Tim McGinley, a Democrat, took the oath of office earlier in the day. He said both Democrats and Republicans attended and applauded McGinley.
Lombardo said he ended up developing a strong working relationship with McGinley when McGinley previously served as the lone Democrat on the council. He urged his colleagues to work together to solve problems instead of dwelling on party affiliations.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo congratulated the five members sworn in Monday and said she respects them all and commends their commitment to serving the county.
Crocamo said she trusts they have a “shared purpose” and wants to “keep the momentum going.”