Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

It is one of the most insidious forms of nepotism/cronyism anyone can practice in local politics: back scratching across political boundaries.

It works like this: A school board member — let’s call him SB — has a relative looking for a job. So does a city mayor — call him CM.

Neither wants to hire said relative directly, that would be too obvious. It may also be impossible if, say, SB doesn’t have enough votes on his board to get the relative hired, and CM likewise lacks support from the municipal council to hire his relative.

But SB and CM are good buddies. Maybe they socialize after hours, maybe they volunteer with the same charity. Maybe they have a private chat and cut a deal: you hire mine, I’ll hire yours.

Or they are just casual acquaintances who had an impromptu conversation. You know, the wife’s getting over the flu, the grand kid is starting to walk, the nephew got his degree and is looking for work. There may be no intent, but when the relatives apply, SB and CM remember the conversation, and the relatives rise to the top of the hiring list.

Maybe SB and CM barely know each other, and never spoke about relatives or jobs. Yet when SB and CM each realize independently that they have a chance to hire the other’s relative, they figure it’s an opportunity to do a good deed. They know and trust the family, the relatives are qualified, so why not help a fellow politician out? No conversation was had, no deal struck, but “who you know” still mattered.

It is insidious precisely because, with rare exceptions, it can be impossible to know what, if anything, actually happened.

Such is the case, so far, with two hirings questioned by Luzerne County Councilwoman Kathy Dobash. As Jennifer Learn-Andes reported in Wednesday’s Times Leader, Dobash pointed out that County Manager C. David Pedri’s father, Charles, was hired by Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat for a newly created position. Charles Pedri’s job includes doing some work previously handled by Jim Ferry, a former Hazleton city employee hired by the county in April.

“It has the appearance of favors,” Dobash said.

Yes it does, particularly since both Ferry and Charles Pedri are steeped in local politics. The elder Pedri served as Hazle Township solicitor for many years. Ferry’s father was a long-time Hazleton city councilman, and the younger Ferry also did some work as solicitor for at least one municipal board.

It doesn’t help that both Charles Pedri and Ferry lost their law licenses on charges they did not contest, though that’s a side issue. Both have paid their dues and are entitled to a second chance.

Cusat and C. David Pedri insist no deal was struck, no influence peddled. Timing of the hires supports that. The elder Pedri got his Hazleton job eight months after the county hired Ferry.

But even if it is all above board, it is still like that bite of spicy gristle you didn’t see on your plate.

It’s hard to swallow, and leaves a bad taste.

Luzerne County Courthouse
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_Courthouse-2.jpg.optimal.jpgLuzerne County Courthouse