Salary board creates p/t Asst. DA position

BY STACI WILSON

After being sworn in as the Susquehanna County District Attorney the first week of February, Marion O’Malley fired the assistant district attorney on her first day in the position. The county has been without an assistant district attorney since then.

Former ADA Bill Urbanski had mounted a legal challenge to President Judge Jason Legg’s refusal to recognize him as the county’s district attorney following the death of Robert Klein in December 2017. The judge said Urbanski did not meet the requirements needed to serve as the county’s district attorney.

Urbanski had been employed full-time in the office with a starting salary of $60,000. Prior to his hire, the assistant district attorney had been a part-time post.

The county is reverting back to that set-up. At the Tuesday, June 12 Salary Board meeting, the full-time ADA position was eliminated; and a part-time, 20 hour a week ADA position was created at a salary of $30,000.

At press time on Tuesday, June 19, the ADA position had not yet been filled.

The board also created two union, Maintenance positions: a full-time Recycling Center/Prison Maintenance Utility Technician position, at a rate of $15.83 per hour; and a Maintenance and Utility Crew Chief at a rate of $16.13 per hour.

In the commissioners’ meeting, Stacy Thatcher was hired, effective June 11, to the union position of Payroll/Accounts Payable/Grant Coordinator, at a rate of $13.46 per hour.

The transfer of Kara Lavery to the position of Geographic Information Systems Technician was approved, effective June 12.

The following people were reappointed to serve on Northern Tier Regional Planning and Developmental Commission Advisory Committees:

Economic Development: Robert Neira, William Dovin, Bobbi Jo Turner;

NTRPDC Membership Executive: Alan Hall, Elizabeth Arnold, MaryAnn Warren (alternate);

Loan Review: Joe Ferretti, Rick Soden, Keith Yurgosky;

Rural Transportation: Alan Hall, Jack Conroy, Alex Komar.

The commissioners approved agreements with the Lackwanna-Susquehanna Drug and Alcohol Program.

The county also entered an agreement with the Bridgewater Township Municipal Authority to contribute $50,000 from Act 13 funds for the water line extension from Ellsworth Drive to the Ellsworth Drive Industrial Park in South Montrose, per the recommendation by the Susquehanna County Economic Development Advisory Board.