The new Lackawanna County commissioner majority of Brenda Sacco and Chris Chermak on Monday hired Pittston City Business Administrator Jenna Strzelecki to be county human resources director, according to the third commissioner, Bill Gaughan.
Gaughan criticized the hiring of Strzelecki, who also is a member of the Scranton School Board, saying he was left out of the decision and it should not have been made by the other two, with Sacco soon to depart the board and be replaced by Commissioner-elect Thom Welby.
Of over 30 applications submitted for the post that has been open for several months, Strzelecki was the only candidate interviewed, Gaughan said.
“What Commissioner Brenda Sacco and Commissioner Chris Chermak did today is the definition of backroom politics. It is an outrageous abuse of power by a lame-duck duo scrambling to hand out political favors before the clock runs out on their authority,” Gaughan said in a statement. “I have never been shown this candidate’s resume. I’m not questioning her background or potential qualifications — I’m questioning the sham process Sacco and Chermak used to push her through. The public deserves better than a one-interview, hand-picked, last-minute appointment.”
Chermak disagreed, saying he and Sacco went through applications and resumes, Strzelecki was well qualified and they felt she would be a good fit. They interviewed her and “she knocked it out of the park,” he said.
Gaughan also called the hiring a “blatant slap in the face” to him and Welby, who are Democrats, as is Sacco. Chermak is a Republican.
“Lackawanna County deserves professionalism, transparency, and integrity — not political patronage from officials who are nearly out the door,” Gaughan said.
Chermak said he and Sacco also discussed the hire with Welby and had his approval, adding, “It was not a backroom deal.”
Welby won a special election on Nov. 4 to fill the remainder of the term of former Commissioner Matt McGloin, who resigned in February. Welby expects to have his swearing in within a week or so, but a date has not yet been chosen.
As for not bringing Gaughan into the discussion, Chermak said, “Nobody asked me when he and Matt hired people. Bill’s going to have to learn to deal with some of this stuff. Karma stinks, what can I say?”
Welby also said he does not view the hiring as a slap in his face, as Sacco and Chermak consulted with him on the hiring.
“She certainly is qualified — I’d hire her in a heartbeat,” Welby said. “They ran her name past me and I told them I certainly have no objection, knowing her experience.”
Welby added, “I hope that when we have meetings (among the three commissioners), we have them in unison together.”
Efforts to reach Sacco were unsuccessful.
In Pittston, Strzelecki also is the Right to Know officer and community development specialist. She will start her new job with the county Dec. 3.
“I have a strong human resources background from working with the City of Pittston. I think that I am a good fit for this (county) position,” Strzelecki said. She eclined to comment on Gaughan’s characterization of her hiring having come about through backroom politics, saying “I think my work experience and background speaks for itself.”
The county human resources position pays an annual salary of $65,139.
A resident of Scranton, Strzelecki was appointed in April to fill a vacancy on the Scranton School Board. She was elected in the Nov. 4 general election to a four-year term.