logo
Candidates to replace McGloin say they can work with Gaughan, including one dismissed last year

Candidates to replace McGloin say they can work with Gaughan, including one dismissed last year

Yahoo03-03-2025

A former Lackawanna County economic development director who Commissioners Bill Gaughan and Matt McGloin dismissed early last year said she expects she'd work well with Gaughan if chosen to replace McGloin as commissioner.
Brenda Sacco, who led the county's Department of Planning and Economic Development for about five years before Gaughan and McGloin fired her shortly after taking office as Democratic majority commissioners in January 2024, is one of three potential appointees the Lackawanna County Democratic Party's executive committee advanced last week as possible McGloin successors. The others are Olyphant Borough Council President James Baldan and Scranton School Director Robert J. Casey.
Baldan and Casey, who is not related to the former senator, each said they could work well with Gaughan, too.
McGloin recently announced his resignation as commissioner effective Feb. 24, prompting a process under the county's Home Rule Charter that saw the party submit the names of three potential Democratic replacements — Sacco, Baldan and Casey — for consideration by the judges of the county Court of Common Pleas. Gaughan, who earlier last week announced Dunmore Mayor Mark 'Max' Conway Jr. as his preferred choice to succeed McGloin, continues to sharply criticize the process by which the party advanced those three candidates from a field of 18 applicants.
While the charter tasks the judges with choosing one of the three to fill the remainder of McGloin's term expiring Jan. 3, 2028, the court said Friday it will take no action on the vacancy until commissioners officially accept McGloin's resignation at a formal meeting.
It came a day after county solicitor Donald Frederickson noted in a memo to the court that, 'as a matter of law,' no vacancy exists until McGloin's resignation is accepted at such a meeting. And with commissioners meeting Wednesday, Frederickson said in a phone interview that McGloin could conceivably come back and rescind his resignation, though he hasn't publicly expressed any desire to return.
'Until the resignation is accepted, there is no vacancy to fill and any effort toward naming a successor is premature,' Frederickson wrote in the memo to the court.
A former Penn State and NFL quarterback, McGloin resigned as commissioner for a job with Boston College's football program. He then left that job, citing family reasons.
Frederickson also advised the court of an apparent conflict between the Home Rule Charter and a procedure set forth in Rule 1908 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Judicial Administration that the state Supreme Court adopted in 2019. That procedure for filling a vacancy involves the county court alone, not any political party.
How the court proceeds remains to be seen.
But, given her position atop the short list the county Democratic Party submitted to the judges, the newspaper asked Sacco on Friday if she had any concerns that her having been fired by Gaughan would create an awkward dynamic should she ultimately replace McGloin.
'Reasonable minds can disagree about how to regard my prior separation from Lackawanna County, but I certainly don't regard it as Commissioner Gaughan having fired me,' she said in a statement. 'The truth is I have great respect for Commissioner Gaughan and I supported him when he ran. If I am chosen I hope and expect to work very well with him given our combined experience and dedication to the county.'
Sacco joined the county economic development office in August 2013 as deputy director of operations and finance under Director George Kelly, who left in January 2019. Kelly ran for commissioner that year as incumbent Democratic Commissioner Jerry Notarianni's running mate, but didn't advance beyond the primary.
Commissioners elevated Sacco in early 2019 to replace Kelly as director, initially in an acting capacity. She served through the next administration of Notarianni, fellow Democratic Commissioner Debi Domenick and Republican Commissioner Chris Chermak, often earning praise for her performance.
Gaughan and McGloin dismissed Sacco in late January 2024 but gave no specific reasons at the time for letting her go. A contemporaneous news release noted the county had 'parted ways' with Sacco. It's not unusual for new majority administrations to replace department heads.
Longtime planning manager Mary Liz Donato served as Sacco's interim replacement until Gaughan and McGloin appointed Kristin Magnotta to the planning and economic development director position in February 2024.
Gaughan declined to comment Monday on Sacco's dismissal, calling it a personnel issue. He also declined to comment on Baldan or Casey, both of whom, like Sacco, expressed confidence in their ability to work with Gaughan should they fill McGloin's seat.
'I can work with anybody,' said Casey, now in his second stint as a Scranton school director after previously serving as a director from 1979-91. 'I spent over 14 years on the Scranton School Board, and, when you're dealing with nine people, in order to get anything done you need to be able to develop a consensus and work with people and understand … what their point of view (is).'
Baldan made a similar case for himself, citing his more than four decades working for Burlington stores.
'I worked for over 40 years in the same company,' he said. 'To make that happen you have to be able to conform and be able to work with anyone or work for anyone. … Yes, I would be able to work with anyone in the county, anyone in government or anyone in the private sector.'
At this point the appointment process is in the hands of the county judges, Gaughan said.
'They have to go through their process and I respect that, so I'm refraining from commenting on any of the individuals who had their names submitted,' he said.
But Gaughan did reiterate his objections to the process county Democratic Party Chairman Chris Patrick used to determine which three candidates should advance to the judges, calling it 'pretty pathetic.'
He criticized Patrick last week for not interviewing potential candidates before the full executive committee and for lacking transparency more broadly. Patrick has not released the names of everyone who applied to fill the vacancy or details about a scoring rubric used to grade the candidates.
In a Friday statement defending the process, Patrick said that the three highest-scoring applicants were put before the executive committee, which advanced them to the judges. He also noted the relatively short window of time the party had to conduct the process as part of his broader defense.
'(Patrick) wants to be the kingmaker instead of being transparent and honest,' Gaughan said Monday. 'And it's my opinion that he has absolutely no interest in good government.'
Patrick rejected the charge.
'My response still stands from last week and my only goal as chairman is to make sure we elect Democrats in every election,' he said. 'I totally support good and responsible government on all levels.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump's Double Standard On LA's Protests Couldn't Be More Glaring
Trump's Double Standard On LA's Protests Couldn't Be More Glaring

Yahoo

time27 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Trump's Double Standard On LA's Protests Couldn't Be More Glaring

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is warning those protesting against his unprecedented immigration crackdown in Los Angeles against targeting police officers and thousands of National Guard troops he's deployed there, promising to exact retribution on anyone who commits violence against them. 'Nobody's going to spit on our police officers. Nobody's going to spit on our military,' Trump told reporters on Monday, before posting on his social media website: 'IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before. Such disrespect will not be tolerated!' But Trump felt differently about violence against law enforcement when he issued blanket pardons earlier this year for hundreds of people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 in an effort to keep him in office after his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. His pardons included those convicted of assaulting or interfering with police officers, roughly 1,000 nonviolent offenders and around 200 people accused of assaulting police. A number of those pardoned have reportedly since been rearrested for other alleged crimes. 'These are the hostages. Approximately 1,500 were pardoned. Full pardon,' Trump said after issuing the pardons on his first day in office. About 140 police officers were injured in the attack on the Capitol, something that Trump has called a 'beautiful day' despite being impeached by the U.S. House for inciting an insurrection by spreading lies about election fraud. 'Their hypocrisy just smacks you in the face,' Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who investigated the Capitol attack as a former member of the House, told HuffPost in response to Trump's response to LA's unrest. 'Violence is never appropriate. It wasn't appropriate on Jan. 6 and it's not appropriate in LA or anywhere else. We need to be consistent about that.' Trump quickly deployed thousands of troops to California over the weekend — including 700 U.S. Marines — despite no request from the state's governor, Gavin Newsom, who has warned the president's actions will further inflame the unrest. The protests initially began after Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents executed raids at a Home Depot store in Los Angeles at the direction of the White House. As president on Jan. 6, 2021, however, Trump issued no order or formal request for National Guard troops to aid beleaguered U.S. Capitol police who were overrun by hundreds of his supporters. 'On Jan. 6, both the Democratic and Republican leadership in Congress were begging Donald Trump to make a statement, to call off the MAGA mob that invaded the Capitol,' Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told HuffPost. 'People were begging him to call out the National Guard, and he sat there and did nothing, and now he's acting in a situation where the officials in charge are telling him that federalizing the National Guard and sending in the Marines will only exacerbate a situation which is under control.' Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the House speaker at the time, also slammed Trump for federalizing the National Guard and sending troops to Los Angeles, something he refused to do when Congress was under attack. 'We begged the president of the United States to send in the National Guard. He would not do it,' Pelosi told reporters on Tuesday. 'And yet, in a contra-constitutional way, he has sent the National Guard into California. Something is very wrong with this picture.' While Democrats have slammed Trump's response to the protests, Republicans are broadly welcoming the federal intervention in California — even those who have long espoused the importance of state's rights and the ability of local governments to enforce their laws. In 2024, for example, a group of 24 conservative House Republicans warned then-President Joe Biden not to federalize the Texas National Guard as some Texas Democratic lawmakers had been urging him to do, saying it would be an 'encroachment on Texas' constitutionally protected sovereignty.' Asked Tuesday if Trump is being inconsistent by sending troops to Los Angeles after pardoning Jan. 6 rioters, meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) dodged the question entirely. 'The issue that's in front of us is the chaos in LA. The political leadership there wasn't up to the task,' he said at his weekly press conference. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who has disagreed publicly with Trump's pardons of Jan. 6 rioters, said Democrats aren't being consistent on the issue by not sufficiently condemning violence in Los Angeles. 'I think Democrats who feel like the president is wrong to bring out force would be on firmer ground if they denounce the actions of violence in Los Angeles, Kenosha, and Portland,' he said, without specifying which Democrats have refused to speak out. Even Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a Libertarian-leaning voice in the Senate, suggested Trump was within his rights to federalize the National Guard and send troops into California without approval from the state's governor. 'Democrats have failed to have law and order,' Paul said. 'I've always preferred local law enforcement to federal but this is a time in which it looks as though the state government is resisting enforcing federal law.' It's not clear what federal law the senator is referring to. Newsom has also condemned violent protesters and urged the demonstrations to remain peaceful. 'The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles — not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle,' Newsom said Sunday. 'Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully,' he added. Arthur Delaney contributed reporting.

Kansas commission nominates two judges, private attorney for vacancy on Supreme Court
Kansas commission nominates two judges, private attorney for vacancy on Supreme Court

Yahoo

time27 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Kansas commission nominates two judges, private attorney for vacancy on Supreme Court

A nonpartisan nominating committee recommended Gov. Laura Kelly choose from among three nominees to fill a vacancy on the Kansas Supreme Court. Justice Evelyn Wilson is retiring July 4. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — A state judicial nominating commission unanimously recommended Tuesday that Gov. Laura Kelly choose from among two eastern Kansas district court judges and a soft-spoken attorney in private practice to fill an impending vacancy on the Kansas Supreme Court. The nonpartisan commission completed two days of interviews with 15 applicants before several rounds of voting narrowed the list to Douglas County District Court Judge Amy Hanley, Johnson County District Court Judge Christopher Jayaram and Leawood attorney Larkin Walsh. It would be the Democratic governor's fourth appointment to state's seven-justice Supreme Court. Justice Evelyn Wilson, who was diagnosed with the progressive neurodegenerative condition known as Lou Gehrig's disease, plans to retire July 4. She was appointed by Kelly in 2019, but took the oath in 2020. 'We had very good candidates, and that's important,' said Gloria Flentje, chairperson of the merit-selection commission. 'I hope that every time in the future it will be a hard decision because there are good candidates who want to be on the Kansas Supreme Court.' Hanley, who was appointed to the district court in 2016 by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, was among top vote-getters in each of the rounds conducted by the commission. Before joining the bench, she argued 20 times before the state Supreme Court or Kansas Court of Appeals. She was a a special assistant U.S. attorney in Kansas and an assistant attorney general for Kansas. She earned a law degree at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. 'I believe litigation experience is crucial to this position,' said Hanley, of Lawrence. 'I believe strongly in precedent.' She said one of the biggest challenges before the state Supreme Court was to respond to the tarnished public image of courts and judges in general. 'Public perception is something I believe is best addressed through education,' she said. Walsh, senior counsel at Stueve Siegel Hanson and a 2004 graduate of the University of Kansas law school, clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Carlos Murguia and was a research attorney for state Supreme Court Justice Carol Beier. Walsh's legal practice centered on civil cases in state and federal courts. More recently, she worked on plaintiffs' rights in labor and employment cases. Retired Kansas Court of Appeals Judge Steve Leben described Walsh in a reference letter as someone with 'intellectual humility.' 'I found that to be so moving,' Walsh said. 'It really brings a tear to my eye that someone would describe me that way. I am not a self-promoter. This is not my scene, but I do think a critical attribute of being a judge is to maintain that sense that you don't have all the answers.' The Leawood resident said the obligation of a state justice would be to maintain fidelity to the law, conduct careful reviews of facts and examine issues in the way parties framed them. 'Ego doesn't play a huge role in that,' said Walsh, who suggested the same skill was important in forming consensus among justices. 'Being the loudest or being the most inflexible or being the most aggressive is never the most effective.' Jayaram, who was appointed a district court judge in Johnson County by Kelly in 2021, said his 20-year legal career before that point focused on business litigation and health care matters. He was an attorney at Horn Aylward & Bandy and earned a law degree at Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. He said the text of the Kansas Constitution ought to be reviewed from a pragmatic standpoint without losing connection to actual words contained in the document. 'I don't think that you should overlook original words that are there,' said Jayaram, of Lenexa. He was questioned by the commission about how judges or justices ought to to handle personal political views when deciding cases. 'My job as a district court judge is really to not pay attention to what's popular and not popular,' Jayaram said. 'I'm not a political animal.' The issue holds relevance given some district court judges in Kansas — not Johnson County — were elected by popular vote rather than appointed by a governor. In addition, the August 2026 ballot in Kansas will include a proposed amendment to the constitution requiring election of Supreme Court justices. On the commission's fifth ballot, Jayaram edged out on a vote of 5-4 Robert Wonnell, who also served as a judge in the Johnson County District Court. The commission conducted the one-on-one runoff to determine the third finalist after Jayaram and Wonnel tied on the fourth ballot.

Factbox-Los Angeles, progressive beacon at center of anti-Trump backlash
Factbox-Los Angeles, progressive beacon at center of anti-Trump backlash

Yahoo

time27 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Factbox-Los Angeles, progressive beacon at center of anti-Trump backlash

By Costas Pitas LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Protests in Los Angeles against raids on suspected undocumented immigrants have turned into the strongest domestic backlash against President Donald Trump since he took office in January. Here is how the Democratic-leaning city and state of California vary from Trump's Republicans and his support in the U.S. heartland. PARTY POLITICS Nationwide, Trump won around 2.5 million more votes than his Democratic rival Kamala Harris in the November presidential election but in Los Angeles, Harris won by a margin of roughly two to one. Of the 50 U.S. states, California backed Harris by the fifth largest margin. California is also home to several top-level Democrats, including Harris herself, and long-time former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. Governor Gavin Newsom is a Democrat, as is the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass. Both have complained about Trump's tactics this week. The party raises millions in the state from wealthy donors and grassroots supporters, sometimes in a single day. DEMOGRAPHICS At 27.3%, California has the highest foreign-born population of any U.S. state, compared to 13.9% of the total U.S. population, according to a 2024 Census report. Nearly half of Angelenos are Hispanic or Latino and some 35% of the city's total population is foreign-born, according to the American Community Survey, with many cultural and business ties to Mexico, which is only about a two-hour drive south. ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS Faced with persistently bad air quality, especially in cities with strong driving cultures such as Los Angeles, California has developed some of the strictest environmental regulations in the country, opposed by many Republicans. A landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035 in California is in the crosshairs of a battle between its Democratic leadership and the Republican-run federal government, also because many other states replicate California's first-in-the-nation action. In May, the Republican-run Senate in Washington voted to ban the plan and it is now awaiting Trump's signature. He is expected to sign it this week, according to industry officials. HOLLYWOOD American movies and television are one of the most visible U.S. exports, emanating from an LA-based industry that had been hailed by liberals for boosting diversity but criticized by some conservatives for creating films that include LGBT stories. In May, Trump suggested a tariff on movies produced in foreign countries to protect a domestic industry that he said was "dying a very fast death." But when China retaliated by saying it would curb American film imports, he prompted laughter at a cabinet meeting by a response that signaled his derision for Hollywood: "I think I've heard of worse things."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store