Appointment disagreement colors frosty commissioners meeting

SCRANTON — Democratic Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan tried in vain Wednesday to table an appointment while raising procedural concerns at a frosty meeting marked by underlying tension among the recently reorganized board.

It followed Monday’s reorganization session where Democratic Commissioner Thom Welby was elected chairman of the three-member board of commissioners before voting with Republican Commissioner Chris Chermak to make Chermak vice chairman over Gaughan’s objections. Gaughan, who accused Welby of elevating a “MAGA Republican” to a leadership role, said both of his colleagues were “full of (expletive)” after they defended the move — something he took some heat for Wednesday.

Wednesday’s session was not as nakedly hostile, but residual coldness was apparent during the appointment discussion. It began with Gaughan asking his colleagues to consider tabling a motion to appoint Larry Wynne to the County of Lackawanna Transit System Authority board he previously chaired.

Wynne’s most-recent term on the COLTS board expired at the end of 2024, per newspaper records. Gaughan and former Democratic Commissioner Matt McGloin declined to reappoint him thereafter.

Wynne, who works for both the county and the city of Scranton and serves as president of the local union representing city department of public works and parks and recreation employees, previously served on the COLTS board for about a decade. Gaughan noted Wynne’s multiple roles Wednesday and acknowledged he may ultimately be the most qualified person for the COLTS appointment, but objected to the county having not solicited resumes or letters of interest from other applicants.

Gaughan and McGloin began in 2024 the practice of advertising openings on county boards and authorities and inviting the public to apply, and incumbents to reapply, with a goal of expanding the pool of potential appointees. It’s something Welby said the county will do again this year, with Gaughan pushing unsuccessfully Wednesday for the board to table Wynne’s appointment until that process takes place.

“The people of Lackawanna County deserve to know when opportunities exist to serve, and they deserve a fair chance to raise their hand,” Gaughan said. “That process did not happen here. When we bypass that process even once we undermine the very reforms we said mattered. We send a message, however unintentionally, that access matters more than openness, and that decisions can still be made behind closed doors rather than in the sunlight.”

Gaughan also sarcastically said he assumes the rush to reappoint Wynne is driven by Welby’s and Chermak’s “deep and abiding concern for public transportation.”

“Nothing else could possibly explain it,” he said.

Neither Welby nor Chermak seconded Gaughan’s motion to table the appointment, with both defending Wynne. Chermak noted and Wynne later confirmed that he previously applied to remain on the board despite Gaughan and McGloin not reappointing him.

“Larry Wynne was a valuable member of that board,” Chermak said. “I don’t know him personally, but I know his reputation. I know he did a good job. … I certainly don’t have a problem since he did apply and wanted to remain on the board, and I think he could do a good job just like he did before.”

Welby emphasized that Wynne previously chaired the COLTS board — “we’re not talking about somebody that’s coming in out of the dark,” he said — noting Gaughan did not object minutes earlier when the commissioners unanimously reappointed Newton Twp. Supervisor Doug Pallman and appointed Russell Decker to the county Agricultural Land Preservation Board.

“I just found that peculiar,” Welby said.

Bylaws limit who can serve in different roles on that board, with the aforementioned seats reserved for an elected official and professional building contractor or developer, respectively. Gaughan noted as much during his defense of that vote.

The vote to appoint Wynne to the COLTS board was 2-1, with Gaughan opposed. His term runs through 2030.

The action came a day after Deputy Chief of Staff Traci Harte sent commissioners an email with an attached list showing dozens of openings on various boards and authorities. The internal email notes the county could issue a press release requesting applications and resumes by a certain unspecified date.

“The nomination for Mr. Wynne was in progress and paperwork had been completed when we received the email yesterday about advertising it, and in the future, as of now, all of those will be promoted,” Welby said at Wednesday’s meeting. “The opportunity to apply for those positions will be promoted both hopefully in the paper but also on our website, for sure.”

Wynne, for his part, defended his qualifications in a subsequent phone interview.

“I’m the most qualified with my 10 years experience and four (years) as the board chairman,” he said. “I’m not new to the game, so I can get off the ground running.”

It’s nice to have that experience back on the board, Welby said.

After moving through their business agenda commissioners opened the floor for public comment, with Scranton businessman Bob Bolus and James Moran of Archbald criticizing Gaughan’s remarks and use of profanity at Monday’s reorganization meeting. Bolus, who left two rolls of toilet paper for Gaughan, used profanity himself when rebuking the commissioner.

Moran evoked and paraphrased the character Thumper from the Disney film “Bambi,” telling Gaughan “if you can’t say something nice to somebody then don’t say it at all.”

Gaughan said he’ll “use the word malarkey now instead of the other one — full of malarkey instead of full of the s-word.”

“Sorry about that, and by the way I went to Mass yesterday so I asked for forgiveness,” he said.