PITTSTON TWP. — After another round of barbs from Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo and Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan, the bi-county board in charge of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport voted Thursday to approve a two-year agreement to pay law enforcement officers at airport.
Luzerne County Council and the Lackawanna County commissioners now have to approve the agreement, which would end on an ongoing beef between the counties over the Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) program at the airport. The counties share ownership of the airport in Pittston Twp., and Luzerne County officials have been upset that Lackawanna County has not been contributing to fund the LEO program, which has had a monthly cost of roughly $12,000.
Gaughan dismissed the LEO program as “expensive security theater” and cast the lone vote against it. The Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office took over the LEO program in 2021 when it was funded by the Transportation Security Administration and continued the program after the TSA stopped funding it in May 2024.
“But it is no longer a federally supported or federally required program,” Gaughan said. “It is a fully optional, fully local and fully unfunded add-on — one that the airport’s own officials say they do not need.”
Under the proposed two-year agreement between the counties, the airport would cover 50% of the LEO program cost, while each county would cover 25% of the costs. The airport has been providing $5,000 a month to help Luzerne County fund the LEO program.
The airport spends more than $500,000 a year on an armed security force, and TSA also has armed personnel at the airport, Gaughan said. The security guards can’t arrest anyone but can detain people and call local police for arrests, Gaughan said.
Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo responds to Controller Walter Griffith during the airport board meeting at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Executive Director Carl Beardsley speaks during the airport board meeting at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Community members attend the airport board meeting at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan speaks during the airport board meeting at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Commissioner-elect Thom Welby sits in on the airport board meeting at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo responds to Controller Walter Griffith during the airport board meeting at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Crocamo defended the LEO program.
“Security and safety isn’t a sandwich. Security and safety isn’t a piece of steak,” Crocamo said. “I will never ever apologize for putting the safety of the residents of Luzerne County first, and I will never apologize for considering the safety and the well-being of the citizens of Lackawanna County. I will never ever apologize for putting the safety and security of the individuals who use this airport first. We want this airport to be the best it can possibly be, and what we will have now is.”
Gaughan referenced the debate he had with Crocamo at last month’s airport board meeting.
“And as for the accusation that I’m grandstanding or bush league, I’ll let the public decide who’s grandstanding — the commissioner asking for transparency, or the officials demanding a closed-door conversation about a publicly funded program taxpayers are already paying for.”
Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith also complained about how officials agreed to the tentative deal on LEO funding. Luzerne County canceled a public meeting on LEO funding that was scheduled for Wednesday night after the counties reached a tentative agreement.
Luzerne County Councilwoman Lee Ann McDermott, the chair of the bi-county airport board, said attorneys for both counties wrote the draft of the tentative agreement after board members sent emails with input.
Crocamo added, “And if anybody wants to talk about transparency, I will put the transparency of Luzerne County up against any county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
Griffith also objected to not being able to review the tentative agreement prior to the meeting. After reviewing the proposed agreement following the meeting, Griffith said it should include an hourly pay rate for law enforcement officers and a maximum funding amount for each county.
The airport board on Thursday also voted to approve a 2026 budget with $12.4 million in revenue, nearly $8.2 million in operating expenses and $300,000 in capital expenses. Gaughan cast the lone vote against the budget. He said he voted against the budget because it includes the LEO program.