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By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES [email protected]
Wednesday, June 08, 2005 Page: 3A
Luzerne County Controller Steve Flood announced Tuesday that he won’t pay
the county’s 27 interns because the positions and pay weren’t publicly
authorized by the county Salary Board.
The move appears to leave County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Mike
Conahan, who ultimately oversees the interns, two choices to secure their pay:
* Take Flood to court to challenge his refusal
* Or, attend the June 17 Salary Board meeting, hoping that his vote will be
joined by two others to go along with the plan for the $60-a-day court
internships.
The Salary Board consists of the three commissioners and controller. The
president judge or his designee gets a fifth vote on court matters.
Chief Clerk/Manager Sam Guesto polled each Salary Board member last week,
asking if each person would support the creation of 30 paid court internships.
Minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban and Flood said no.
“There’s no justification. No job description. And given the condition of
the county budget as a whole, I can’t support it,” Urban said.
Majority Commissioners Todd Vonderheid and Greg Skrepenak have expressed
support for the internships.
Most of interns started working in May.
The $60-a-day internships have prompted some concern from Sheriff Barry
Stankus because that’s the same pay given to his per diem sheriff deputies.
“If they feel an intern in the court is worth $60 a day, then I feel based
upon what my deputies are exposed to and what they’re required to do, their
compensation should be higher,” Stankus said.
But Paula Schnelly, head of the union that covers sheriff deputies, notes
that raising the per diem pay to $80 would bring the pay of part-timers to
about the same as a starting full-timer.
A full-timer starts at $22,000, which amounts to $84.63 per day, she says.
Schnelly believes commissioners should revisit a proposal to increase
full-timers from a 32.5-hour work week to 40, which would reduce reliance on
per diems.
Stankus said he supports that switch, even if it’s a gradual increase in
full-time hours.
Conahan and other court officials did not return calls Tuesday for comment.
Anthony Agati, Shavertown
John Alu, Pittston Township
Caroline Bloss, Wilkes-Barre
Sarah Borland, Wilkes-Barre
Joseph Carroll, Exeter
Thomas Carroll Jr., Moosic
Jennifer Caso, Hazleton
Diane Marie Collins, Pittston
Michael Drake, Larksville
Jaron George, Wilkes-Barre
Michelle Hardik, Luzerne
Rehan Husain, Dallas
Krista Jones, Mountain Top
William Lavan, Wilkes-Barre
Samantha Lloyd, Shavertown
Alexis Manganiello, Pittston
Christine Neidig, Elysburg
Brian Oliphant, Kingston
Michelle Orloski, Mountaintop
Joseph Ostrowski, Wilkes-Barre
Stefanie Pollock, Dallas
Nicole Santo, Plains Township
Anthony Sartorio, Pittston
Steve Serra, Hazleton
Amanda Sidari, Hazleton
Brian Viercinski, Clarks Summit
Charbi Anne Webby, Wapwallopen