Petrilla And Griffith Clash Over Sunshine Act

Joe Heller, Green Bay Press-Gazette

Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith feels the county commissioners violated the Sunshine Act during a recent meeting of the minds. According to this report from Jennifer Learn-Andes of the Times Leader Griffith is considering legal action to prove his point.

Griffith said he has evidence that all three commissioners met behind closed doors on Nov. 24 to discuss formulation of the county’s proposed 2011 budget.

The Sunshine Act says deliberation by a quorum of an agency must occur at a public meeting unless it meets certain exceptions, such as discussions about some personnel issues, contract negotiations, property lease/purchases and litigation.

Griffith said controller’s office Solicitor Tom Mosca is reviewing the matter and would file the legal action at no additional cost to the county. Violations of the act call for a fine of up to $100, he said.

Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla told Griffith that commissioners are permitted to meet “as long as there’s no deliberation and no decisions made.”

“It’s not a violation of the Sunshine Act for us to be together,” she said.

But Griffith said Thursday that he’s confident that deliberation occurred because commissioners discussed their plans to alter the county’s proposed budget. If he proceeds with legal action, Griffith said he will seek testimony from management officials who attended that closed-door meeting, including county Budget/Finance Chief Tom Pribula, who has resigned effective Dec. 8.

The Pennsylvania Newspapers Association wrotethree articles dealing with Misconceptions about The Sunshine Act.

When an agency as defined in the Act (for example, a school board or a board of supervisors) has a prearranged gathering attended or participated in by a quorum of its members, the gathering is a meeting. You can call it a work session or a conference or getting together at the diner after the meeting or a fact-finding session, but it's nonetheless a meeting in the eyes of the law. The gathering place is a matter of complete indifference under the Sunshine Act's terms. A meeting can happen anywhere inside or outside a government building.

Meetings may or may not be open to the public. Whenever a meeting occurs for the purpose of deliberation or taking official action, it must be open to the public and all the formalities associated with a public meeting - notice, public participation, minute-taking, etc. - must be observed by the agency. Deliberation is defined in the Act as discussion for the purpose of making a decision about agency business. Official action is also a defined term, and it encompasses a broad range of activity including making recommendations or decisions, creating policy and voting.

It is hard for the ordinary person to understand Commissioner Petrilla's position. Discussion about the budget is deliberation regardless of whether some conclusion(forget a vote) came from that discussion.

County Workforce Agency Under Scrutiny

Citizen Voice Photos
The Citizen Voice ran an article by Michael Sisak yesterday concerning the continuing saga of the Luzerne County Workforce Investment Development Agency(LCWIDA).

Last year Luzerne County Human Resources Director Doug Richards was arrested by the F.B.I. for taking a kickback in connection with a contract involving the LCWIDA. Its director, Richard Ammon, signed the contract with Continental Consulting Group, Inc according to an article by Michael Buffer of the Citizen's Voice.

Ammon defended signing the Continental contract, a no-bid deal which cost more than $800,000 and was never approved by county commissioners. Ammon said he didn't know the human resources department planned to use the contract to pay various county retirees who continued to work for the county as Continental employees. It should be pointed out that Ammon was never charged with regards to this issue.

Eventually Richards pleaded guilty to the charges.

Now the LCWIDA is involved in an audit issue and poor bookkeeping practices alleged by officials with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The executive director of the Luzerne County Workforce Investment Development Agency is facing scrutiny from state labor officials for failing to correct critical lapses uncovered last year in the agency's record-keeping and accounting practices.

The lapses, detailed in a state Department of Labor & Industry performance audit last May, could force state officials to eliminate funding for the agency or shut it down if they are not remedied, according to records obtained by The Citizens' Voice.

The audit listed more than a dozen major lapses, including the agency's excessive reliance on state reimbursement accounts and the disappearance of dozens of employee timesheets required to obtain program grants and other state funding.

According to the audit, the agency withdrew $101,982 to pay a $28,253 health insurance bill in September 2007 and withdrew $142,822 to pay a $30,266 health insurance bill in January 2008. The inflated withdrawals gave the agency an extra $186,285, a violation of state rules that require agencies to maintain a "minimal amount of cash on hand."

The agency also had no documented procedures for a number of regular accounting tasks, including: payroll, cost allocation, bank account reconciliation, program income and credit card usage. Instead, the audit found, the agency relied on the institutional accounting knowledge of "three or four staff members," each with at least 20 years of experience with the agency.

Richard Ammon, the executive director of the Luzerne County Workforce Investment Development Agency, said Monday that all of the lapses in the audit have "been addressed or are being addressed," but a Feb. 18 letter to county officials indicated none had been corrected. Christine M. Enright, the director of the state Bureau of Workforce Development Partnership, chided Ammon for failing to follow through on a "corrective action plan" he submitted last July.

Field visits and interviews with agency officials since the audit was completed "have revealed that the corrective action plans have not been implemented," Enright said in the letter. "Therefore, the original practices and policies that amounted to a finding remain unresolved.

On the heels of that article Michael Buffer writes a follow-up article involving the Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board Inc. and LCWIDA.

The Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Investment Board Inc. is seeking proposals to administer Luzerne County's workforce programs, a task currently handled by an embattled county agency.

A state audit of LSWIB Inc. and the Luzerne County Workforce Investment Agency detected poor accounting and record-keeping last year, and deficiencies must be addressed by March 20, according to a Feb. 18 letter from Christine M. Enright, director of the state Bureau of Workforce Development Partnership. If deficiencies are not corrected, the state could cut off financial assistance to the counties, and the governor could shut down the local workforce investment board.

The audit - which covered finances from June 1, 2007, to May 15, 2008 - and subsequent follow-up field visits and interviews did not uncover any missing funds, said Christopher Manlove, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.

Commissioner Maryann Petrilla was quick to defend LCWIDA but in her response she did not address the veracity of the auditing findings and what type of oversight would occur to correct the deficiences.

Luzerne County Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla said the county agency can submit a proposal to continue administering the workforce programs.

"We are one of only a few counties in the state to not bid out this service," Petrilla said. "Every county in the state puts it out for RFP (request for proposals). I want to protect our employees. They are doing a good job. But we have to be in compliance with the state. … They have to put together a solid proposal to provide the service at a low cost."

The county workforce agency has 41 employees on the county payroll, but the state reimburses Luzerne County for agency costs. The agency does not receive any funds from Luzerne County's budget and spent more than $8 million from July 2008 to June 2009, according to agency records.

Specific information about the request for proposals on administering Luzerne County's workforce programs could not be obtained Tuesday. Richard Ammon, the executive director of the Luzerne County Workforce Investment Development Agency and a member of the Hazleton City Authority, could not be reached for comment.

First and foremost should be an internal investigation as to if and why the audit issues were not corrected. There are serious allegations in the audit.

The deficiencies detected by the state audit include the disappearance of employee timesheets, inflated withdrawals of funds and undocumented procedures for payroll, income and costs. The Luzerne County workforce agency and ReDCo did not have operating budgets and proper legal agreements on operations, and LSWIB Inc. did not account for hours worked by a part-time solicitor, the audit said.

An interesting commentary about Doug Richards and the Luzerne County mess from Scott Sanfilippo can be found here.

Luzerne County's Staffing Woes

The biggest problem in Luzerne County eminates from its workforce. Read the Times Leader article by Jennifer Learn-Andes and Steve Mocarsky to find that there are 1698 full time workers in the county. Maryanne Petrilla and Thomas Cooney are telling us there is no place to cut yet their consultant firm told them they could eliminate 150 employees.

Luzerne County is the second highest employee to population ratio and ranked third with total number of employees. Chester County, ranked number 1 regarding employees has one hundered eighty thousand more residents but only 283 more employees.

“We’re trying to trim and do more with less. We’ve made a commitment that we’re going to try to streamline government and operate as lean as we possibly can,” said Petrilla, the board chairwoman.

Petrilla has publicly said that the county’s decision to furlough 72 workers last year hurt some services. She also said consultant Public Financial Management’s option to cut another 150 positions in one year was unrealistic. Cutting 150 positions could save an estimated $6.4 million this year, the consultant said.

Cooney, who replaced former commissioner Greg Skrepenak in December, said he met with all county departments, and most have fewer employees than they did several years ago. He said he will consider any suggestions on reducing expenses.

“Overall, the departments are running with less, which is what the public wants us to accomplish,” Cooney said.

But minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban continues to maintain that there is still room for reductions. He said he heard few complaints about service cuts after last year’s layoffs.

Among his suggestions: switch court tipstaffers to part-time, get rid of a Hazleton solicitor position in the register of wills office and cut at least one position from recorder of deeds due to the office’s decreased workload.

Urban said he also believes the county administration could survive with fewer employees.

Here's a suggestion for the Luzerne County Commissioners. Read this paper, Preparing Allegheny County For The 21st Century, regarding the reorganization of the various departments in Allegheny County.

Reduce the Number of Departments

The government of Allegheny County is very fragmented with 30 departments, ten row offices, and an independent court system. These departments range in size from a high of 1,700 to a low of three employees. The director of each of the departments reports to the County Commissioners.

The Committee recommends that governmental functions be consolidated into a much smaller number of departments. There are several ways in which this can be done. A proposed organization chart depicting county government with nine departments is shown on page 13. This char is considered one
option and is not meant in any way to reflect a single ideal reorganization. However, the benchmark counties all had fewer departments, and many had reorganized in order to make such reductions.

Merit-Based Employment System and Employee Ethics

To attract and retain the most competent employees, thecounty need to institute a merit-based employment system.The system needs to be designed to treat all people fairly andequitably while encouraging high levels of performance formemployees. The county should also recruit highly professional and experienced managers. The selection process should try
to identify the most competent and qualified individualsavailable.

Allegheny County has approximately 8,000 employees. Theseindividuals can be hired by the County Commissioners,individual row officers, or by the court of Common Pleas.

Improve the Organization

· Reduce the Number of Departments

· Institute a Merit-Based personnel System Including a Model Ethics Code

· Appoint a Standing Government Improvement Commission

I know..it makes sense and after all this is Luzerne County. If someone can explain why we absolutely need a Recorder of Deeds and a Register of Wills.

Dan Onorato made this statement as part of his 2009 Budget Address.

This year we successfully completed the final phase of row office consolidation with the creation of the Department of Court Records, which combined the former offices of Clerk of Courts, Prothonotary, and Register of Wills, and the Department of Real Estate, which was previously the Recorder of Deeds. We have now reduced the number of row offices from 10 to 4, saving taxpayers more than $1 million annually.

The Luzerne County Study Commission is polluted in its thinking, not sure if it is on purpose or not. Mr. Haggerty is trying, not actually going out of his way, to use the commission to benefit his political aspirations. An appointed manager would not be independent like an elected manager. An appointed manager would always have his job haning over his head by the political elected Commissioners. Its a shame we have an opportunity to streamline Luzerne County but he is standing in its way.

Revisit Gort's Post

SOP is going to exercise some latitude to make an important point. Political guru Gort42 wrote this piece back in 2005.

Erik Knappman vs.Maryanne Petrilla

One of the most important jobs in the county government is the Controller. As anyone who reads this site knows I am a big fan of Steve Flood. The local press have portrayed him as some sort loose cannon. Sometimes we need loose cannons, rabble rousers and bomb throwers. He stepped on the toes of the powers that be and they took him down. We need people that will throw their hands in the air and say stop! He was a stickler for the law and he reminded the Commissioners of it. Thank you Mr. Flood for your service to the taxpayers.

Now we have to decide who will succeed him. I have to admit I don't know much about either candidate. Maryanne Petrilla is the Butler Township manager. I don't know what her responsibilities are, but it sounds like she is the mayor of the town. If so, I would like to hear from somebody who lives there and tell me if the trash is picked up and streets are plowed when it snows. Her opponent is Eric Knappman who had a financial advise show on WILK. He has a construction business and became a certified financial counselor.

I haven't been contacted by either candidate in the mail or any other means. If anyone has more info please send it to me.

Time has more than vindicated Steve Flood. Time has proven him a champion for the taxpayer, an honest and truthful person. And SOP never met Mr. Flood.

Time has also brought into question Petrilla's handling of the Controller's job and what occurred on her watch.

Republican Party of Pennsylvania spokesman Mike Barley released the following statement regarding Luzerne County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla’s endorsement of Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato.

“I find it very interesting that Dan Onorato has chosen to align himself with a Luzerne County Democratic machine that oversaw some of the worst cases of corruption in our nation’s history,” Barley said. “For months, Luzerne County residents have woken up to headlines detailing episodes of Democrat corruption, some of which Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla failed to catch during her time as Controller. It was, after all, under Maryanne Petrilla’s watch, that debit cards were being misused and no-bid contracts were being handed out as political favors. Frankly, her inability to report these glaring problems with Luzerne County government while serving as an elected official makes her incompetent at best.”

“That Dan Onorato would choose to align himself with Maryanne Petrilla and the corrupt Luzerne County Democratic machine should certainly raise some red flags for Pennsylvania voters.”

Looking at a past press release from Kanjorski's office only serves to substantiate pompus rhetoric and lack of substance on the part of Commissioner Petrilla's performance.

06/29/2009
WASHINGTON - Yesterday evening, Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) and Luzerne County Commissioner Chairman Maryanne C. Petrilla attended the annual official White House picnic hosted by President Obama and Vice President Biden.

"It was an honor to be invited to the White House and I was thrilled that Commissioner Petrilla was able to join," said Congressman Kanjorski. "It was an eventful evening as we had the opportunity to talk with President Obama, Vice President Biden, and many others in a more casual setting. We also had the pleasure of seeing one of our Pennsylvania Senators, Senator Casey."

"I was proud to represent Luzerne County to President Obama and his family," said Commissioner Petrilla. "I greatly appreciated that Congressman Kanjorski gave me the opportunity to discuss the issues that matter in Northeastern Pennsylvania with so many members of the executive and legislative branches of government. And I look forward to making the most of those contacts as I continue to work on behalf Luzerne County's families."

Witness the layoff of county personnel and the property tax hike in Luzerne County. Those contacts worked real well on behalf of Luzerne County families.

Luzerne "Dysfunctional" County

It has been said on the street that Walter Griffith is a nut, plain and simple. I found the man to be somewhat aloof but by no means a nut. The perpetrators of such a claim seem to have an agenda to distract the citizens of Luzerne County from the very shenanigans that seem are "acceptable" to people like Maryanne Petrilla. That claim is made because it is Walter Griffith digging and exposing the inept actions of employees and department heads in the county, not Maryanne, she only responds. Her lack of proactive efforts to straighten out Luzerne County exemplifies why we see the contiuning shameless actions in the press.

In today's edition of the Times Leader Jennifer Learn-Andres details how Griffith exposes a van driver who does not possess a valid driver's license.

Griffith said he sent the county administration an e-mail demanding that the employee be terminated immediately. The employee was removed from driving Friday afternoon, pending further disciplinary review.

“This is a serious issue. This could have put the county in jeopardy,” Griffith said.

The county’s transportation department, operated jointly with Wyoming County, runs vans that provide transportation for the elderly and people with physical and mental disabilities.

County officials declined to name the female employee.

County Chief Clerk/Manager Doug Pape verified that the employee drove a van without a license.

The county had checked the employee’s license in November, and it was clean. Her license was later suspended after she received a ticket, Pape said. He wasn’t sure of the reason for the suspension but said the suspension has since been lifted.

However, the worker’s license expired Feb. 5. She applied for a new license and received it as of 4:30 p.m. Friday, Pape said.

Evidently things in Harrisburg aren't much better. Who did the vetting for the Sheriff nominee in Luzerne County? Had due diligence been performed his property tax situation would have been discovered but then again we are talking about the Rendell administration.

Ace reporter Jennifer Learn-Andes writes another report about the Sheriff nominee and his tax embarassment.

Luzerne County sheriff nominee John Gilligan owed $2,614 in taxes on his Wyoming property from 2008 and 2009.

Gilligan paid the debt around 4 p.m. Friday, shortly after discussing the matter with a reporter.

He acknowledged owing the debt when contacted, saying this was the first time he got behind in his taxes since he purchased the home in 1987.

Gilligan called back later, to say the taxes would be paid that afternoon.

He said he used to pay taxes through his mortgage and didn’t realize that the set-up had changed until he started receiving tax bills.

Gilligan said he appreciated the media inquiry because it prompted him to contact the tax claim office to see how much he owed.

According to tax claim records, Gilligan owed $997.69 from 2008 and $1,616.30 for 2009. Both bills include penalties, interest and costs.

Luzerne County Hikes Taxes 15%

The Times Leader is reporting that Luzerne County commissioners Maryanne Petrilla and Thomas Cooney voted to increase property taxes by 15% this morning.

County taxes will be 5.215 mills, up from last year's 4.5347.


The owner of a $100,000 property would pay about $68 more in county taxes compared to last year, with a bill increasing from $453 to $521. A mill is $1 tax on every $1,000 in assessed property value.

Mr. Cooney initially abstained over an ethics issue but then voted to break a tie which is perfectly legal in accordance with ethics law.

For Ms. Petrilla's part it must be a beautiful thing to make huge mistakes as Controller then be able to cover them up by voting for a tax increase.

To add insult to injury for struggling municipalities tax bill mailings will be delayed as a result of the Luzerne County tax increase according to the Citizen's Voice.

Where are the public calls for Luzerne County to live within its means like Barletta faced in Hazleton? Guess it demonstrates the political undertones orchestrated by the Democratic powers to be.

BREAKING NEWS: LUZERNE COUNTY COMMISSIONER GREG SKREPENAK SIGNS PLEA DEAL

In a long anticipated annnouncement the Times Leader is reporting that a source has confirmed Luzerne County Commissioner Greg Skrepenak signed a plea deal on Wednesday in the ongoing corruption probe.

Makes me wonder about the campaign transfers from Friends of Skrepenak and Vonderheid and Friends of Skrepenak and Petrilla to the sole campaign finance committee of Friends of Maryanne Petrilla last year.

Again I say Todd Eachus's associations with Robert Powell, Jill Moran, Greg Skrepenak, Bill DeWeese, Steve Stetler, Michael Veon, Michael Manzo, and Rachel Manzo are part of a new book coming out called "It's The Company I Keep." His campaign finance committee, Friends of Todd Eachus has donated to Maryanne Petrilla's political aspirations for years. On June 4, 2004 the committee contributed $7,000.00 to People for Petrilla alone.

BREAKING NEWS: Two sources close to the Luzerne County Courthouse have confirmed an arrest related to the Prothonotary's Office over missing funds, reportedly as high as $6,000.00. The employee involved is from the Hazleton area.

One source is stating that at least two high powered attorneys are next on the list. Stay tuned.

MaryAnn Petrilla- Emulating and Keeping Political Cronyism Strong

One would think that the FBI's efforts surrounding the Luzerne County Courthouse would officals more careful, transparent, and accountable with their dealings. Well, as you are about to see all is well in Political Cronyism land. I was reviewing some postings on the net and noticed that Gort wrote about the amount of money raised by Luzerne County Commissioner Maryann Petrilla this year. What struck me odd was that she isn't running for office this year nor did she need to retire debt. She is a sitting Luzerne County Commissioner.

Back in November, 2006 Gort wrote about Maryanne's plan to run for Luzerne County Commissioner while holding the office of Luzerne County Controller.

In looking at her campaign filings prior to running for Commissioner her indebtedness was as high as $70,300.00 on June 6, 2005. The earliest campaign filing on the Courthouse websites indicates she had a debt 0f $45,417.59 as of April 16, 2004. At the end of 2006 she had indebtedness of $36,300.00.

A review of her latest campaign report indicates she has a positive balance of $78,170.24 as of 10-19-2009 in her "Friends of Maryanne Petrilla" campaign account. In a span of two years she was able to swing $125,070.00 worth of money. That figure represents the political culture icon demonstrating politics as usual in Luzerne County.

What is more revealing is who gave her the money to achieve such a positive balance? First, this examination is not making the claim that the donations are illegal by any means. However, as you will see, from a taxpayer perspective they raise a multitude of ethical questions.

For starters her campaign forms have been submitted by Tracey Gallagher and Donald Karpowich for some of the years on file on the website. According to this document it appears they are husband and wife. Donald Karpowich is listed as the solicitor for Luzerne County Controller. This Annual Filing of the Controller of Luzerne County lists Donald Karpowich as the solicitor for Acting Controller A.J. Martinelli, however, Maryann Petrilla is listed as Controller. So basically her solicitor was also filing campaign reports for her while an officer of Luzerne County. He was also hired as the solicitor for Luzerne County's Retirement Board by Maryanne et al.

Article from:The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, PA) Article date:April 20, 2006 The Times Leader. Retirement board solicitor fired: Board also rejects paying former county Controller Steve Flood's legal bill. Byline: Jennifer Learn-Andes

Apr. 20--Luzerne County Retirement Board members Greg Skrepenak, Todd Vonderheid and Maryanne Petrilla voted Wednesday to fire solicitor Chris Cullen and not pay a $137,221 legal bill to a Philadelphia law firm handling former controller Steve Flood's defamation suit. The trio then voted to appoint controller's office solicitor Donald Karpowich as interim retirement board solicitor until the board can interview the six or seven applicants. Karpowich did not apply for the permanent post, Petrilla said. Retirement board members Stephen A. Urban and Mike Morreale voted against the appointment. It must be true that lightning can strike twice.

A campaign report was also filed by Kristen Martinelli and notarized by Tracey Gallgher for 2008. In that report the Friends of Skrepenak and Vonderheid committee contributed $26,350.00 on January 15, 2008 and the Friends of Skrepenak and Petrilla committee contributed $54,586.00 on March 28, 2008 to the People of Petrilla commmittee. The People of Petrilla committee transferred $55,000.00 to her newly formed campaign finance committee(CFC) Friends of Maryanne Petrilla on May 2, 2008.

In the Friends of Maryanne Petrilla filing through December, 2008 Nobel Quandel is listed as a $2,000.00 contributor on May 31, 2008.

Moving onto the latest campaign filing there some more interesting pieces of information. On August 31, 2009 Friends of Jackie Musto Carroll contributed $250.00 to her political committee hesitating to use the word "campaign" since Maryanne is already elected and holding office. Vito Deluca, Luzerne County Solicitor, contributed $375.00; Ed Casaldi, Luzerne County Public Safety Director donated $500.00; Donald Karpowich contributed $1,625.00; Joseph Piazza(along with his wife Patricia) Luzerne County Warden donated $500.00.

Correct me if I am wrong. As Luzerne County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla by the County Code is a mandatory member of the Luzerne County Salary Board. Is it ethical for a sitting member of a Salary Board to accept campaign contributions from those who she will determine their salary and fund through Luzerne County taxpayers in the county budget?

Friends of Maryanne Petrilla committee contributed to the following campaign finance committees in 2009: Joe Musto for Judge Committee- $250.00, Committee to Elect Amesbury Judge $125.00, Committee to Elect Tina Polachek Gartley-total $1,200.00, Friends of Jackie Caroll Musto- $250.00. Again, aren't these Officers of the County who's staff salaries are determined in part by Maryanne Petrilla's vote?

How can there be reform in Luzerne County when these practices exist? If one were to sue the county would there be a conflict of interest for these judges to hear the case? If one were to have an issue with the county how can one accept the decision of the County solicitor or the solicitor of the various boards and offices when contributions back and forth cloud the issue?

Are these office holders transparent with the public in their transactions?

Click here for access to Friends of Maryanne Petrilla.

Click here for access to People For Petrilla.