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The Kingston mayor says he has no interest in county manager or council positions.

James Haggerty said he won’t apply for the Luzerne County manager position or run for county council if voters pass a switch to county home rule government in November.
Haggerty, chairman of the study commission that drafted the proposed charter, said some charter critics are trying to make people think he is pushing for a change in county government for personal gain.
“There is manufacturing of rumor and innuendo to disparage the home rule charter, and it’s disappointing that people stoop to that level rather than discussing the merits of the charter,” Haggerty said.
He said the chatter was originally that he wanted to serve on the commission to get an “inside track” to be the elected county executive, but charter drafters opted to propose an appointed county manager instead.
“Then the rumor was that I wanted to be county manager. That’s equally ridiculous,” Haggerty said. Haggerty said he’s been a lawyer for 20 years and has no desire to change his full-time profession.
“I’m not a municipal manager, and I have no interest in being a municipal manager,” he said.
Haggerty said he avoided publicly declaring his disinterest in the post because he did not want to give validity to the claim, but he is concerned that voters will buy into the rumor.
Getting an inside track on the manager post is impossible for anyone, he said. The manager must be selected by seven of the 11 elected council members, and voters decide which 11 people fill those council slots.
“This is a red herring,” he said.
Haggerty said he won’t run for county council, though there’s no reason any of the 10 other charter drafters should be ruled out as viable candidates. Several have already said they have no plans to run for council.
“The individuals who have served on the Government Study Commission are extremely knowledgeable about how county government should work and about what’s wrong with county government. That’s the kind of knowledge that would be extremely helpful to have on county council,” Haggerty said.
If voters approve home rule, the county council members would be elected next year and receive $8,000 annually.
Haggerty said he doesn’t want to run for county council because of his law practice and role as Kingston mayor. He was re-elected Kingston mayor last November and said he intends to serve his full four-year term.