Several prospective applicants with strong resumes did not pursue Luzerne County government management jobs because they would be required to relocate within the county, county Manager C. David Pedri told council members.
“I’m not saying they would have gotten the job, but the residency requirement automatically kicked them out,” Pedri said. “I don’t see why we would limit our pool in any way, shape or form.”
County Councilman Rick Williams sought Pedri’s feedback at last week’s meeting because the county’s management residency ordinance has now been in effect for a year. Williams is pushing his colleagues to kill the ordinance or at least alter it to cover fewer workers. The matter is scheduled for more discussion at Tuesday’s work session.
The policy requires the top manager, eight division heads, the prison deputy warden and managers who head three departments — Emergency Management, the Sheriff’s Office and 911 — to live in the county within six months of their hiring.
Five council members had voted against the requirement, with several citing concerns about the potential loss of qualified applicants: Williams, Harry Haas, Eugene Kelleher, Tim McGinley and Linda McClosky Houck.
Ordinance supporters Robert Schnee and Jane Walsh Waitkus said last week they are willing to consider changes, but they made no promises. Edward Brominski, Kathy Dobash, Stephen A. Urban and Eileen Sorokas also voted for the ordinance, with some saying it will ensure top managers have a personal investment in the county through residential property rental or ownership.
Schnee said he would not hire somebody from outside the county if a talented county resident is seeking that job. He complained about Hazleton area residents who had obtained impressive positions in school districts outside the region because they could not land jobs in the Hazleton Area School District.
Walsh Waitkus said county residents “for too long” were “discounted” by many hiring organizations throughout the county that brought in employees from other counties or states.
“I haven’t felt that,” Williams said.
“It’s well-known in many municipalities in Luzerne County — well known,” Walsh Waitkus said. “This was my attempt to boost Luzerne County and its highly qualified and educated citizens who many times are overlooked in gainful employment.”
But Williams argued that restricting competition is not in the county’s best interest. While he encourages county residents to apply and hopes they get selected, all options for filling positions should be considered, he said.
Pedri said no qualified county residents would be disregarded if the ordinance is lifted because the county follows a merit hiring process.
“You don’t need to know somebody to get a job or anything along those lines. The best qualified candidate for the job will get the job,” Pedri insisted.
The county has more than 60 job openings, and recruiting applicants for some of them has been “very difficult,” Pedri said.
McGinley said he’s optimistic that at least some ordinance supporters will reconsider the ordinance because they are now aware of the impact and “repercussions.” He pointed to initial discussion a year ago that residents of some parts of Lackawanna County live closer to the Luzerne County seat in Wilkes-Barre than residents from outlying areas within Luzerne County.
“I think we should act on it if indeed it is hurting us,” McGinley said.
Kelleher asked if eliminating the ordinance would prevent council members from giving preference to a county resident when they hire a manager or confirm division head nominees.
Assistant Solicitor Shannon Crake said council members are free to vote their conscience and consider residency as a factor without an ordinance.
If council members are determined to keep a residency requirement, citizen Brian Shiner suggested they identify an acceptable radius that may include adjacent municipalities beyond the county line.
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