Saturday, January 12, 2008

The next Luzerne County Controller

Governor Ed Rendell will appoint a successor to recently elected Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla and she will be hard act to follow as Luzerne County Controller. Rapid Edward will nominate someone to fill the vacant post, and the state Senate must confirm the nomination with a majority vote. The post must be filled within 90 days, and Petrilla’s replacement will serve through the end of 2009.

Petrilla was recruited to run against Steve Flood, the only public official in years to question how the county did business but we can't have that. So the powers that be got a small town administrator without any accounting background to take him out. Her short tenure as controller has ended with the Debit Card scandal which has made her look incompetent or worse. Now she's a County Commissioner and is trying to restore the public trust in county government. Good luck with that one.

So far 2 people have expressed an interest in the job that are part of the good ole boy network.

Wil Toole wanting to be a fiscal watchdog has to one of the funniest things I've ever heard. He charged thousands of hours of overtime to Pittston City and is now suing because he contends that the city should pay for his wife's health insurance indefinitely. The dispute stemmed from a volley of lawsuits exchanged between Toole and other city officials in the late 1990s.

The other is former Wyoming Valley West School District superintendent Augie Piazza who now serves on the Luzerne County Community College Board of Trustees. From what I hear Piazza was a good manager with only a touch of nepotism.

The problem is that neither of these guys are ACCOUNTANTS! The election in 2009 will pick the next elected Controller and any politician can run for the office but what Luzerne County needs right now is a person with a strong accounting/management background without political ambitions or connections and big set of brass balls. Someone who will look at all departments of the county not just the ones headed by Republican row officers and put some spending controls in place. That ideal person may not exist but if you're out there:

From the TL:

If you’re interested in becoming the next Luzerne County Controller, contact Gov. Ed Rendell’s office via www.governor.state.pa.us or call (717) 787-2500.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

tim Gier for Controller

Anonymous said...

No can do - 1 semester to go before I have my B.A. (which is not in accounting).

Tim

Anonymous said...

This is a critical position to fill. It is unrealistic to think the Demo control linked with Fast Eddie in Harrisburg will put a true watchdog in place.

Just more reason we need homerule and professional management and accountabiliy.

If the GOP has any hope of regaining control of the any row offices, they should be recruiting a great candidate for this slot now and priming the pump for the next cycle. The tax payers of Luzerne County will continue to PAY for the current one-party system.

Anonymous said...

maybe Lisa baker can Rally GOP Senators to take a stand and only confirm a true watchdog

But i doubt it

Anonymous said...

wow i mean exiled in DC, exiled from PA