Luzerne County councilman questions lobbyist payment

Luzerne County Councilman Walter Griffith is questioning the administration’s decision to pay for a Harrisburg-based lobbyist through the end of this year, saying there’s no guarantee council will want to keep the company that long.

County Chief Solicitor Romilda Crocamo said the payment was made because the contract with Maverick Strategies was extended until Dec. 31 based on council’s decision to keep the full lobbyist allocation in the 2020 budget.

If council wants to end the lobbyist contract at any point, Maverick Strategies would be required to refund the county for payments covering the period it is not retained, Crocamo said.

The company is paid $5,000 per month, and either party can cancel the agreement with a 60-day written notice.

In an email this week, Griffith said he wants an explanation on why the administration paid $60,000 for the full year when the agreement calls for a monthly retainer.

He also views the contract extension for the second half of 2020 as a separate agreement that should not yet be paid. The administration implemented the extension late last year, following council’s budget adoption.

“The prior contract has not expired yet and we are paying in advance for a new contract before county council has the ability to analyze the effectiveness of the previous contracted services?” Griffith wrote. “I would like to know if the county has that much money that we can pay our obligations in advance, or is this something we just do for Maverick Strategies?”

A council majority had voted last April to grant county Manager C. David Pedri’s request to hire the lobbyist firm from May 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020.

Pedri said a more active presence was needed in the state capital to maximize grants and other funding for county projects. He later told council the lobbyist “played a key role” in securing a $1 million state grant for the county’s new 911 emergency radio system.

Council critics had argued the county should not have to pay someone to lobby the government.

Griffith recently requested a briefing from Maverick Strategies at an upcoming council meeting.

During a forum for council candidates last fall, Griffith and Councilman Stephen J. Urban both opposed the use of a county lobbyist while all other council contenders expressed support for the initiative, with some pointing to the $1 million grant for 911.

Two of the current council members had voted against the lobbyist last year — Harry Haas and Linda McClosky Houck. McClosky Houck also had unsuccessfully pushed to eliminate the $60,000 lobbyist allocation from the 2020 budget.