Latest news with #BillGaughan
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lackawanna County election board certifies primary results
SCRANTON — The Lackawanna County Board of Elections certified Friday the results of last month's municipal primary, making those results official. Democratic Commissioner Bill Gaughan, Republican Commissioner Chris Chermak and county Judge Terrence R. Nealon, who filled the election board vacancy created by former Democratic Commissioner Matt McGloin's late February resignation, voted unanimously to certify the results of the primary held May 20. The results and other election-related information is available online at The last day for unregistered voters who want to vote in November's municipal election to register is Oct. 20. The election itself is Nov. 4. — JEFF HORVATH
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Commissioners award almost $100,000 in Community Re-Invest grants
CLARKS SUMMIT — Lackawanna County grant funding will help defray the cost of a crosswalk safety initiative in Clarks Summit, a spay and neuter clinic in Scranton, and other projects and purchases planned by local municipalities and nonprofits. Meeting Wednesday in Clarks Summit, Commissioners Bill Gaughan and Chris Chermak unanimously approved nearly $100,000 in grants through the county's popular Community Re-Invest Program, with 20 projects receiving grants in the first of two program funding rounds this year. The successful applicants, funding amounts and projects include: • Blakely Borough Police Department: $5,000 to defray the $11,143 cost of purchasing a drone. • Shopa-Davey VFW Post 6082, Blakely: $5,000 to defray the $8,900 cost of repairing/replacing the roofs of the post's storage and chicken barbecue buildings. • Blakely Borough Community Ambulance Association: $4,350 to cover the cost of training equipment. • Clarks Summit Borough: $4,958 to cover the cost of a crosswalk safety initiative. • Abington Junior Comets Football Club: $5,000 to cover most of the $5,158 cost of concessions equipment and uniform upgrades. • Covington Twp.: $5,000 to defray the $9,789 cost of painting the exterior of a new police station. • American Legion Post 665, Dickson City: $5,000 to defray the $8,069 cost of a basement water project. • Center for the Living City, Dunmore: $5,000 to defray the $24,000 cost of 'Lighting Up Scranton 2025,' with grant funding supporting equipment, marketing and artist payments. • Elmhurst Twp. Sewer Authority: $5,000 to cover the cost of public restroom facilities accessibility upgrades. • Madison Twp.: $5,000 to defray the $6,400 cost of a disabled ramp covering project at the Township Building. • William Walker Hose Company, Mayfield: $5,000 to cover the cost of firefighting equipment. • Mayfield Borough: $5,000 to cover the cost of municipal meeting room upgrades. • Moscow Borough: $5,000 to cover the cost of a Golden Park fence-extension project. • West Scranton Little League: $5,000 to cover the cost of new grass, lighting and seating at the Little League facilities. • PAWsitively for the Animals, Scranton: $5,000 to cover most of the $5,600 cost of an operational savings and growth project, including the cost of purchasing a computer and other equipment, a pallet jack and holiday costumes for fundraising events. • American Legion Post 568, Scranton: $5,000 to defray the $9,500 cost of a flat roof replacement project. • West Scranton Wrestling Alumni Association: $5,000 to defray the $20,453 cost of installing two Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant lifts. • St. Cats and Dogs of Scranton: $5,000 to defray the $20,000 cost of supplies for a spay/neuter clinic. • United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Scranton: $5,000 to defray the $9,600 cost of food/clothing pantry improvements. • South Abington Police Department: $5,000 to defray the $25,739 cost of Lexipol law enforcement policy and procedure manuals. County Economic Development Director Kristin Magnotta said the 20 grant recipients were among 28 that applied. Those not awarded funding this round may apply again for funding during the second, she said. Gaughan lauded the grant program. Modest as the individual grants are, the money can be invaluable for organizations trying to close funding gaps and get projects over the finish line, he said.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lackawanna County rating drops one point above junk bond
LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— The financial reputation of Lackawanna County just took another hit. The credit rating agency has officially downgraded the county's credit rating. But while the rating dropped, there may be a sign of hope for what lies ahead. 28/22's Kathryn O'Leary explains what this means for county residents. Filmmakers highlight Lackawanna County boxing star Lackawanna county's credit rating has been lowered from BBB to BBB-, just one step above junk bond status, that drop stems from last year's budget crisis, but the outlook has now shifted from negative to stable. The credit agency says years of unbalanced budgets, delayed payments, and over-reliance on one-time fixes forced the downgrade. At one point, the county faced a 21% effective deficit, but officials say things are finally turning around with a tough 2025 budget that raised taxes, froze salaries, and eliminated vacant positions. 'The only thing that the taxpayers in Lackawanna County should know is we're finally on stable ground. And that's not just me saying that. That's the credit rating agency saying Lackawanna County is finally addressing the underlying problems that this government has faced the last 10 years,' voiced Bill Gaughan, commissioner, Lackawanna County. Gaughan says they don't plan to borrow more money anytime soon, so this drop shouldn't affect taxpayers, and if they stay on track with these financial fixes, the rating could improve again down the road. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
MONDAY UPDATE: County taps firm for Merli-Sarnoski facilities design, engineering
Lackawanna County commissioners recently approved a contract for design and engineering work related to a planned improvement project targeting the dilapidated lakefront facilities at Merli-Sarnoski Park. Commissioners Bill Gaughan and Chris Chermak voted unanimously last week to authorize a $113,500 professional services agreement with BDA Architects LLC, which has an office in Clarks Summit and previously designed pavilions for the county's Aylesworth and Covington parks. The scope of services includes the preparation of schematic designs and construction documents, as well as the provision of bidding, negotiation and construction-administration services, according to the firm's proposal. It was one of several the county received in response to a request for proposals officials issued late last year. They articulated at the time a goal of replacing the bath house and other aging facilities and amenities bordering the lake at Merli-Sarnoski to bolster the beach area of the park in Fell Twp. Originally named Finch Hill Park when it opened in 1977, the 840-acre park features a stocked lake for swimming and fishing, a beach for sunbathing, mountain biking and hiking trails and athletic fields. The building that houses the restrooms and lifeguard station at Merli-Sarnoski Park along the shore in Fell Twp. on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Merli-Sarnoski got its current name in 1978 when commissioners renamed it to honor World War II veterans and Medal of Honor recipients Gino Merli and Joseph R. Sarnoski. Along with Aylesworth, Covington and McDade parks, its one of four in the county parks system and a popular place for recreation in the Upvalley region. That's in part why officials are prioritizing replacing the lakefront facilities that Gaughan said have outlived their useful life. The beach area currently features a deteriorated bath house with restrooms and an attached pavilion abutting a playground near the parking area. 'Merli-Sarnoski Park has been since (its) inception a cornerstone of outdoor recreation in our county, providing a peaceful, natural space for families, sportsmen and visitors to enjoy,' Gaughan said. 'As a county we recognize the need to modernize the facilities, especially the aging bath house. … So we want to ensure safety, accessibility and long-term usability.' The county will use federal American Rescue Plan Act funding for the design and engineering work, and hopes to then use a combination of ARPA and potential grant funding for the construction of the new facilities. The BDA Architects element of the broader project will provide construction concepts and accurate costs estimates for that work, as well as an assessment informing potential utility system upgrades that may be required. 'This is just basically a road map for us on how we make this project become a reality,' Gaughan said. THEN: Officials announced in November a goal of replacing beach-area facilities at Merli-Sarnoski Park NOW: The county hired a firm for the design and engineering work
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gaughan, county appealing court ruling in vacancy case
Lackawanna County and Democratic Commissioner Bill Gaughan are appealing a county judicial panel's ruling that the county's Home Rule Charter controls the process of filling former Democratic Commissioner Matt McGloin's vacant seat. Gaughan and the county, co-petitioners in litigation challenging the charter process, are also appealing the panel's ruling that the county lacks authority to proceed as a party in the legal matter. With Senior Judges Carmen D. Minora and Vito P. Geroulo in the majority and Senior Judge Robert A. Mazzoni dissenting, the three-judge panel ruled Thursday that the charter supersedes a state rule of judicial administration that would have removed the county Democratic Committee from the replacement process. It amounted to a legal victory for the committee, which the charter tasks with playing a major role in filling vacancies when a Democratic commissioner or other elected Democratic county row officer leaves office mid-term. Attorneys for Gaughan and the county filed a notice Friday in county court stating the parties are appealing the ruling in Commonwealth Court. The Scranton law firm Myers, Brier & Kelly filed the notice as part of its standing engagement, county spokesman Patrick McKenna said in an email, nothing there will be no further cost associated with the appeal. The HRC specifically tasks the Democratic Committee with submitting the names of three potential candidates to fill the vacancy for consideration by the commissioned judges of the county Court of Common Pleas, and the judges with appointing McGloin's successor from that short list. That process played out controversially in late February when the committee held a closed-door vote to submit former county Economic Development Director Brenda Sacco, Olyphant Borough Council President James Baldan and Scranton School Director Robert J. Casey as potential appointees. Gaughan and the county challenged the charter process in March, arguing it violates Pennsylvania Rule of Judicial Administration 1908. That rule, adopted by the state Supreme Court in 2019, says the county court alone, not a political party, 'shall receive applications from any interested candidates for the position' pursuant to a deadline established by the court. Both sides made their respective cases in court filings and during oral arguments before the panel, with the committee arguing for the supremacy of the charter and Gaughan and the county for Rule 1908. Minora and Geroulo ultimately ruled the charter process supersedes the rule of judicial administration, writing that Gaughan and the county's reading of Rule 1908 'simply defies logic and means every time the court issues a new rule, be it administrative or procedural, HRC communities better hold their breath lest their constitutionally guaranteed right to self-rule be consumed … by a pac-man like anonymous rule making committee unanswerable to any public input.' Mazzoni, dissenting, wrote that the 'clear and unambiguous language in Rule 1908 … makes its application in this case compelling.' 'As noted in the language of Rule 1908, the application of this Rule makes the selection of a candidate more transparent and, of course, more diverse by creating a larger pool of worthy applicants,' Mazzoni wrote. 'A result which truly serves the ends of justice.' The senior judges spoke in one voice on another element of the case, unanimously ruling that the county lacks authority to proceed as a party to the matter while rejecting the claim that county Solicitor Donald Frederickson can commence and prosecute litigation on behalf of the county without authorization from a majority of the commissioners. The county has no authority to proceed because Republican Commissioner Chris Chermak, one of two sitting commissioners, never authorized the county's participation, per the ruling. Attorneys for Chermak — who himself objected to the use of county personnel, resources and taxpayer money to make the legal challenge — had argued in court against the county's participation for that reason. The senior judges did, however, rule that Gaughan has standing to proceed in his official capacity as commissioner since he has a substantial, direct and immediate interest in the case. 'The employment of an appropriate selection process can have an impact on Gaughan's ability to function as a Commissioner,' they wrote. The ruling notes that Chermak also has standing as a commissioner. County President Judge James Gibbons has not provided specific details or a timeline on how the county judges might proceed in light of Thursday's ruling, now being appealed, which orders them to 'follow the directives of the Home Rule Charter' when filling McGloin's seat. 'We will provide information as it becomes available,' Gibbons said in an email. Reached Friday morning, Frederickson said the appeal will stay Thursday's county court ruling pending a ruling from the appellate court. The notice of appeal filed Friday is not the appeal itself, which will be filed at a later date. County Democratic Chairman Chris Patrick declined to comment on the appeal beyond saying 'they have to do whatever they have to do.'
