SCRANTON — The candidates in a Nov. 4 special election for Lackawanna County commissioner debated Thursday reassessment and other issues arguably eclipsed by Democratic Commissioner Brenda Sacco’s stated hope to remain in office regardless of the election’s outcome.

Sacco, who isn’t running in the special election, took the oath of office Wednesday, temporarily filling the seat former Democratic Commissioner Matt McGloin resigned in late February. Her swearing-in pursuant to an appointment process established by the county’s Home Rule Charter capped months of Democratic infighting marked by legal battles over the vacancy.

It also created an interesting context for Thursday’s debate at the University of Scranton between Democrat Thom Welby, Republican Chet Merli and independent candidate Michael Cappellini, all of whom are running to fill the two-plus years remaining of former Democratic Commissioner Matt McGloin’s unexpired term. The debate, a civil exchange marked by occasional humor, was organized by the university’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service and held inside a crowded Brennan Hall auditorium.

The tone and tenor of the session stood in stark contrast to months of acrimony over the seat that remained vacant until the resolution of a legal fight that reached the state Supreme Court enabled Sacco’s swearing-in to the position she’ll ostensibly hold for just several weeks.

While the winner of the Nov. 4 special election is expected to replace Sacco after the election results are certified later in November, Sacco said Wednesday she hopes to hold the seat into early January 2028, when McGloin’s term expires. It’s an ambition that makes more likely the prospect of future legal battles over who should serve.

Cappellini, a Jessup resident and the national brand ambassador for Toscano Cigars; Merli, the chairman of the Blakely Borough Planning Commission; and Welby, a Scrantonian who previously filled an unexpired term as a state representative in the 113th state House District, all said they expect to serve if elected commissioner.

They also all suggested they’d defend their victory in court to realize that expectation if they win the election and Sacco attempts to remain in office thereafter.

“To be clear, if I am lucky enough to be elected and the election is certified, I will be serving as county commissioner until the end of this term, and I believe that when this special election was dictated and mandated by the court that overrides anything else,” Welby said while praising Sacco. “Brenda is an incredibly talented and intelligent person, and if she chooses to pursue that she certainly has every right to do that if she feels that she has that responsibility or ability to do that.”

The special election already survived a legal challenge by Sacco and the county Democratic Committee that advanced her for the commissioner appointment, with a county judicial panel denying an injunction they sought to block the special election and a state appeals court judge later affirming the panel’s decision. Cappellini intervened in that case to argue for the special election and vowed to fight on if necessary.

“If it does come to the point where there is some kind of challenge I can promise you immensely that I am here to serve as your county commissioner and ensure that the voice of the people is heard with a free and fair election,” Cappellini said.

In a lighthearted moment, Merli said he spoke to four different attorneys about the situation and got three different answers. But he also expects additional legal challenges and said the Democratic infighting over the seat — infighting he expects to continue — suggests a broken county government.

“So even after she was sworn in, I believe you’ll see legal challenge after legal challenge, and if any of us here win I believe it will be contested, depending on who the winner really is,” Merli said. “If I win it certainly will be contested.”

Reassessment

Where the candidates essentially agreed on that issue, Cappellini’s position on implementing new assessed property values generated during the county’s first reassessment since 1968 varied from those of Merli and Welby. Both major party candidates support pausing the reassessment and suggested a stipulated court order requiring the county to implement the new values by Jan. 1, 2026, might be able to be extended.

It’s an argument Cappellini rejects.

“Court orders can be extended or appealed,” Merli said. “There’s no question that the reassessment was needed and there is a deadline, but that deadline could be pushed forward.”

The terms of the stipulated court order the county agreed to in 2022 postponed further action in a lawsuit seeking to compel reassessment on the basis of tax fairness, with plaintiffs in that case arguing the county’s 1968 assessments had resulted in disparate taxes on similar properties. The terms of the order are “binding” and can’t be changed unilaterally by one party to the agreement.

Welby suggested the county could approach the other parties about a possible extension, arguing most people didn’t understand reassessment and didn’t know how to file an effective appeal. He also faulted county officials for not helping them better understand it.

None of the three candidates sang the praises of the reassessment process despite their different views on whether it can be delayed. But Cappellini said his opponents are “lying to the taxpayer” and repeating political talking points if they suggest the county can pause the reassessment at this stage, given the court order. He also warned of potential fines and other consequences of violating it.

Welby said he wouldn’t pursue the proposed pause if doing so would ultimately hurt the county and its taxpayers. But, in that case, the county should spend considerable time next year “correcting things for people” and educating the public so they can more effectively appeal their new values, he said.

The candidates also discussed county finances, taxes, data center development and other issues. Video of Thursday’s debate is available online at thetimes-tribune.com and via ECTV’s YouTube channel.

Originally Published: October 23, 2025 at 7:03 PM EDT