Luzerne County settles litigation with former budget/finance deputy

Jan. 23--A Luzerne County Council majority approved a $150,000 settlement Tuesday with former deputy budget/finance chief Donna Magni over her 2014 termination.

Council also publicly interviewed the three remaining applicants for a vacant council seat.

In the Magni matter, the county already has paid approximately $103,000 toward its $150,000 insurance deductible in the litigation, leaving around $47,000 owed for the settlement, said Chief Solicitor Romilda Crocamo.

The insurer recommended the settlement and will pay the portion not covered by the deductible to end the Magni suit, which had been set for trial in federal court Monday, Crocamo said.

Council Chairman Tim McGinley said attorneys from both sides were involved in a settlement conference last week, which is why the matter was up for a vote without prior disclosure at a council work session. He noted the settlement had been discussed in a closed-door executive session.

McGinley and council colleagues Chris Perry, Sheila Saidman, Robert Schnee, Jane Walsh Waitkus and Eugene Kelleher voted for the settlement, with Council members Matthew Vough and Stephen A. Urban absent.

Council members Harry Haas and Linda McClosky Houck voted against it.

"I think we could have prevailed," Haas said after the meeting. McClosky Houck said several terminated employees have sued, and she does not believe a settlement is always in the county's best interest.

Both council members last year voted against two litigation settlements that had been filed by former chief public defender Al Flora and former election director Leonard Piazza over their terminations.

The county law division has cautioned that the county could be on the hook for all additional litigation costs and possibly the plaintiffs' legal fees if the county lost in court.

Council applicants

Some highlights from the three council applicants interviewed Tuesday:

--Martin Dartoe, of Wilkes-Barre, who serves on the county Children and Youth Advisory Board and is a Wilkes-Barre Department of Public Works employee.

Dartoe said he is new to politics but has courage and is willing to "learn and grow." He said the county needs someone with "guts," and he would work with council to make rational decisions while "listening to the voices of the people that we need some changes in the county."

Councilman Schnee thanked Dartoe for recently helping to detain a suspect who was fleeing from state police following a traffic stop. Dartoe said he doesn't consider himself a hero but will take action if warranted.

--Elaine Maddon Curry, of Butler Township, who served on county council in 2012 and 2013 and is active with the Hazleton Integration Project, a community-based effort that seeks to unite Hazleton residents of different cultures.

Maddon Curry said she won't be running for a four-year council seat and decided to apply for the council vacancy because she believes in good government and realizes how many rely on county services, including some of the most vulnerable residents.

Her major strength would be her ability to "hit the ground running" due to her past council experience, she said. In addition to focusing on quality services amid the county's continued financial struggles, Maddon Curry said she would want to use her time on council to bring more diversity to the county's outside boards.

--Michael McGlynn, of Duryea, a borough councilman who works as a laboratory operator at the Lower Lackawanna Valley Sanitary Authority and is a member of the Teamsters Local 229, AFL-CIO.

McGlynn said saving money for taxpayers is one of his chief priorities in his job and on borough council, and he described himself as a strong negotiator.

His 15 years of experience on borough council would allow him to more easily transition to county council, he said, emphasizing he is a team player and believes county council and managers are "doing a great job."

Council plans to fill the seat vacated by Edward Brominski on Feb. 12. The new appointee will serve until Jan. 6, 2020.

The other nine contenders were interviewed Monday: Patrick Bilbow, Dominic Butchko, Gene Camoni, Hal Gabriel, Michael Giamber, James Kennedy, Lois Komensky, Bonnie Markowski and Eileen Sorokas.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.

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