Latest news with #MattMcGloin
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oral arguments given over Lackawanna County commissioner vacancy
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — In February, Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan filed a petition arguing the county should follow a Supreme Court ruling that allows anyone interested in Matt McGloin's vacant commissioner's position to apply. The Lackawanna County Democratic Committee argues that the home rule charter should apply, which would give the power of choosing three candidates out of a pool of applicants to the committee, before being handed off to county judges for final selection. On Tuesday, both sides argued in front of a panel of three judges. The legal teams for both the Lackawanna County Democratic Committee and the county argued for what they believe to be the correct way to choose the next commissioner that will fill former Commissioner Matt McGloin's seat. The county's team said that there are inconsistencies between both the Supreme Court ruling, Rule 1908, and the county's home rule charter, arguing that when an inconsistency occurs in a process such as this, the Supreme Court automatically trumps the other side. Pittston police uses social media to fight drug dealers However, the Democratic Committee's team does admit there are inconsistencies. This case is legislative, not judicial, so the home rule charter, which was adopted by county voters in 1979, still stands. The Democratic Committee questioned that, if Rule 1908 is chosen, does that mean anyone, not just Democrats, can apply to this position? The county argued that Rule 1908 specifically says candidates, not party, and that candidate is a specific term that should narrow it down to Democratic candidates only. The Democratic Committee also noted to judges that Rule 1908 simply says the court of common pleas will receive applications, but does not say it will consider them. Commissioner Chermak also filed to remove the county from this case, arguing that if Commissioner Gaughan wants to proceed with this, he should do so on his own as an individual, not a commissioner, utilizing taxpayer dollars. Arguments closed around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, and there is no word on when a decision from the judges will be made. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lackawanna Democratic Committee: Home rule trumps court rule on vacancy
The Lackawanna County Democratic Committee's legal response in the battle to fill a commissioner vacancy contends the county's Home Rule Charter trumps a state court rule that would cut the committee out of the candidate selection process. The committee met Monday's deadline to file an answer to the litigation started last month by Commissioner Bill Gaughan and the county over filling the vacancy of former Commissioner Matt McGloin for the nearly three years remaining on his unexpired term. The Home Rule Charter process had the Democratic Committee picking three candidates to forward to county judges, who then would select one of the three to fill the McGloin vacancy. Under the Home Rule Charter procedure, the county Democratic Committee named three candidates — former county Economic Development Director Brenda Sacco, Olyphant Borough Council President James Baldan and Scranton School Director Robert J. Casey — as candidates to potentially replace McGloin. The Gaughan/county challenge claims the charter is trumped by Pennsylvania Rule of Judicial Administration 1908 of 2019, which says the county court — not a political party — shall receive applications from any interested candidates for the position. The Democratic Committee's answer, prepared by attorney Adam Bonin of Philadelphia, claims the court rule was not established to guide Courts of Common Pleas when filling a county vacancy, but rather was created to give guidance when filling other elected office vacancies pursuant to statutory authority, including under the Pennsylvania Borough Code and the Pennsylvania Public School Code. 'It is specifically denied that the resignation of Commissioner Matt McGloin created such a scenario, as his vacancy must be filled pursuant to a Home Rule Charter provision and not pursuant to statutory authority,' the Democratic Committee reply states. 'The Supreme Court cannot simply promulgate internal rules that change the scheme of an enacted Pennsylvania Home Rule Charter.' Meanwhile, Republican Commissioner Chris Chermak opposes the county's participation in the litigation and also has filed in court a legal action to remove the county as a party to the case. On Thursday, Sacco — who is the Democratic Committee's top candidate — sought court approval to formally enter the litigation, claiming she is victim of a 'smear campaign' against her via reporting by The Times-Tribune. If allowed to intervene in the case directly, Sacco would back the Home Rule Charter/county Democratic Committee process that made her the top finalist; and she also would file a separate motion for a protective order against Gaughan/the county 'from orchestrating false news stories about (her) in the local press,' according to her legal petition prepared by attorney Paul James Walker of Clarks Summit. In response to such claims in Sacco's petition, Lackawanna County Solicitor Donald Frederickson issued a statement Friday saying: 'To the extent that Lackawanna County is being accused of 'leaking' information to the press, this accusation is completely false and not based in reality. Any information which the county has provided to the press is public information which any citizen and taxpayer is entitled to receive. At no time was any confidential or privileged information relating to any employee or former employee disseminated by the county government.' A judge has not yet ruled on whether to allow Sacco to enter the case. On Monday, she also filed a notice in the case that she would seek a 'Rule to Show Cause' for Gaughan and the county to demonstrate why she should not be allowed to enter the litigation and seek a protective order. A panel of three senior Lackawanna County judges had previously scheduled oral arguments in the litigation to be heard April 22. Briefs from all parties in the case must be filed with the court no later than April 14.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Setback delays Lackawanna County commissioner replacement process
LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The effort to replace former Lackawanna County Commissioner Matt McGloin has hit another legal snag. The county court issued an order today, halting the democratic party from interviewing potential replacements. Funeral arrangements for Scranton FD Lt. Kelly Hopkins Commissioner Bill Gaughan believes a Supreme Court ruling from 2019 should govern the process, not the home rule charter. If granted any Democrat could apply for the seat instead of the party picking the nominees. The democratic party now has until April 7 to show why it is right and Gaughan is wrong. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chris Kelly Opinion: When ‘Crackers' and I agree, the apocalypse must be nigh
Even in a county apparently confused about its form of government and a country being ransacked by a criminal president and a chainsaw-wielding charlatan, it was a weird week in politics. Lackawanna County judges kicked the task of selecting candidates to replace departed Commissioner Matt McGloin back to the county Democratic Party Machine, essentially restarting a suspect process and setting up a potential legal battle over the preeminence (or impotence) of the county's Home Rule Charter. Meanwhile, in what's left of Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump followed up his traitorous shakedown of Ukraine with an interminable speech that amounted to pornography for Putin and introduced a new false example of frivolous government spending — 'transgender mice.' Congressional Democrats answered Trump's firehose of lies and crackpot claims by 'virtue-signaling' with pickleball paddles imprinted with pithy slogans and T-shirts stamped with 'RESISTANCE.' They responded to the ongoing chainsaw massacre of Our Republic by raiding the bargain bins at Target. Back to Lackawanna County, where an ongoing coup attempt is uniting the strangest of allies. During the public meeting at which the two surviving commissioners accepted McGloin's resignation, Bob 'Cro-MAGA Man' Bolus defended the county Democratic Party Machine's back-door plot to choose McGloin's successor. Then former commissioner and devout MAGA Republican Laureen 'Crackers' Cummings stood up and said this, which I swear I am not making up: 'I am not a Democrat, as everybody knows, but I have to say, and I don't usually agree with anything in The Scranton Times, as everybody knows as well, but Chris Kelly was spot-on,' she said, referring to (last) Sunday's column. 'I see a coup, just as you do.' After the room stopped spinning and the gasps died down, I thanked Cummings for her unexpected but welcome support. We agreed it was likely the last time we would agree on anything. From the start of this farce, county Democratic Party Chairman Chris Patrick has defended the Machine's closed-door selection process by saying, 'We're just following the county's Home Rule Charter.' This is true. To an extent. The section of the charter that addresses vacancies requires the executive committee of the party of the departing official to select three candidates. The party did that, and will do it again, after the court ruled the party jumped the gun. The new deadline is Tuesday. Expect the same old Machine candidates to be on the list. According to the Home Rule Charter, the court appoints one of the candidates to serve out the term temporarily pending 'a special election according to the Laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania' to be held 'at the next primary municipal or general election to permanently fill the vacancy (unless the open term is in its last year).' McGloin's term doesn't expire until 2028. The next primary election is May 20. If the party is 'following the county's Home Rule Charter,' why hasn't Patrick called for a special election? Maybe because of the clause, 'according to the Laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.' Said laws contain no provision for a special election and give the court sole power of replacing a commissioner as long as the appointee is of the same party as the departing official. This conflict between the county's Home Rule Charter and state law was key in the 2000 court case sparked by now-Judge Andy Jarbola's appointment as district attorney after Michael Barrasse left for the bench. The Republican Machine didn't want a special election, either. The Commonwealth Court upheld Jarbola's appointment despite its conflict with the provisions of the Home Rule Charter. I have neither the space nor the legal expertise to explore it deeply here, but it seems the county Democratic Machine is cherry-picking parts of the charter and state law. If they are truly following the county's Home Rule Charter, a special election is in order. If we're not going to follow the county's Home Rule Charter, why have one? Neither the county's Home Rule Charter nor state law contains any mention of 'transgender mice.' They don't exist and only a lunatic could think they do, let alone say so in front of an audience of millions. 'Transgenic mice' do exist and are genetically modified with hormones to study the effects of diseases and vaccines. Either no one in the White House knows how to google, or they saw 'trans' and said, 'Let the Big Guy roll with it.' (FUN FACT: The $8 million Trump claimed he saved by cutting funding for fake 'transgender mice' is $2.7 million less than the $10.7 million his very real golf habit has cost taxpayers this year.) The same reflexive bigotry behind 'transgender' mice reared its pointy head at the Pentagon. Secretary of Defense and DEI Hire Pete Hegseth's ordered purge of 'diversity, equity and inclusion content' from military websites targeted images of the aircraft that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Its name is 'Enola Gay.' Hegseth is living proof that MAGA Republicans are all for DEI, as long as a mediocre white guy is catching a break. And the mess over replacing McGloin is empirical evidence that the county's Home Rule Charter is as outdated and regressive as the Machine politics that continue to place power above the public good. Any time Laureen Cummings and I agree, it's time for a change. I like Laureen. I get along with Bob Bolus, too (in brief encounters). While I abhor their politics as much as they abhor mine, I see them as fellow Americans and children of God who, despite our many differences, want the same thing I do. Attention. CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, thinks a special election is the best way to replace McGloin. How about you? Contact the writer: ckelly@ @cjkink on X; Chris Kelly, The Times-Tribune on Facebook.
