Lackawanna County Commissioners Brenda Sacco and Chris Chermak fired county Communications Director Pat McKenna on Monday in what Commissioner Bill Gaughan called “basically a political purge” and a “disgrace.”
Sacco and Chermak declined to comment on the personnel matter. Chermak said they don’t plan to replace McKenna.
McKenna confirmed his dismissal Monday afternoon. The former Times-Tribune associate editor was hired by Gaughan, a Democrat, and former Democratic Commissioner Matt McGloin early last year after a 45-year career with The Scranton Times and The Times-Tribune.
“Staff people come and go,” McKenna said in a statement that referenced next week’s special election to fill the remainder of McGloin’s unexpired term. “It’s more important for people to recognize that the government they elected fewer than two years ago has been hijacked, and that they can begin to restore it by voting for independence on November Fourth.”
Chermak called the hijacking charge “preposterous.”
Earlier Monday, Sacco and Chermak teamed up at a reorganization meeting to remove Gaughan as chairman of the Board of Commissioners. They ultimately voted together to make Sacco chairwoman and Chermak vice chairman of the three-member board despite harsh criticism by Gaughan and his supporters.
The reorganization and McKenna’s firing are the latest examples of Sacco, a Democrat, and Chermak, a Republican, forming a de facto bipartisan majority since Sacco took office Wednesday. She was appointed to the seat temporarily pursuant to a county Home Rule Charter process that survived a monthslong legal challenge by Gaughan and the county.
Sacco and Chermak also approved changes to the county’s legal team Friday, including making attorney Paul James Walker of Clarks Summit, Sacco’s personal attorney, county solicitor.
Sacco is not a candidate in the Nov. 4 special election to fill the remainder of McGloin’s unexpired term running into early January 2028. But she has expressed a hope to remain in office for the next two-plus years, suggesting the potential for a future legal battle.
Candidates in the race include Democrat Thom Welby of Scranton, Republican Chet Merli of Blakely and independent Michael Cappellini of Jessup, whom Gaughan endorsed in next week’s contest. The winner will take office next month after the results are certified. Chermak said Monday he expects that will be the case.
On the McKenna firing, Gaughan said he’s “disappointed but not surprised.”
“The county had someone in the position of communications director with impeccable credentials and integrity and Commissioner Chermak and Sacco have made it really clear that their top priority is to fire anyone who has any integrity and qualifications,” Gaughan said. “And Pat McKenna’s style of transparency and ethics doesn’t fit into their dirty backroom political schemes.”
Chermak responded in a text message.
“That is nothing more than a temper tantrum because he (Gaughan) is not getting his way,” Chermak said. “I started as commissioner 6 years ago to do what was best for Lackawanna County and I will continue to do so.”
Gaughan also referenced the upcoming special election.
“Commissioner Sacco is only going to be there for 3½ weeks,” Gaughan said. “For her to fire anyone is just unimaginable at this point.”
Gaughan and McGloin fired Sacco, then the county’s economic development director, after taking office in January 2024. They hired McKenna to replace longtime Communications Director Joe D’Arienzo, whom they demoted to a community relations liaison post that involved working with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders baseball team. He later took a job outside of county government.
At the time, Chermak sharply criticized D’Arienzo’s demotion as an example of “old school Lackawanna County politics at its worst.”
Gaughan, who said Monday he likes D’Arienzo “a lot,” heaped praise on McKenna and lauded his job performance.
“He is a respected journalist and professional who spent decades building a reputation of honesty, fairness and integrity,” Gaughan said. “It’s a huge loss for the county and I’m very disappointed.”