Luzerne County Councilwoman Kendra Radle has resigned as vice chair of the county Republican Party, following the appointment of Councilman Stephen J. Urban as chairman of the county board of
It was quite a stunt the two Republican members of the Luzerne County Board of Elections pulled Wednesday in naming GOP county council member Stephen J. Urban chairman of the board over the objections of the county solicitor that the appointment violated the county Home Rule Charter.
And thatâs all it was â a stunt, and one that will likely be overturned in an expected court challenge.
Over the past year, the GOP in Washington, Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, has engaged in a fact-free crusade to cast doubt on the integrity of our election system. Urban, like his Republican brethren in state and national office, has made vague and unproven allegations about the Nov. 3 vote that in the end never amount to anything.
By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
From left, Luzerne County Chief Solicitor Romilda Crocamo, county Councilman Stephen J. Urban, and county Election Board member Joyce Dombroski-Gebhardt are seen in this composite photo.
Solicitor warns of ‘error,’ Republican calls move ‘doable,’ Dems consider special meeting to respond Listen to this
Against the advice of Luzerne County’s chief solicitor, the Luzerne County Election Board’s two Republican board members on Wednesday appointed Republican county Councilman Stephen J. Urban as the new board chairman.
The third election board member Democrat Audrey Serniak loudly voted against the appointment and questioned how it came about without her knowledge. The board had traditionally sought citizen applicants and publicly interviewed them.
Election-related issues featured prominently in the news throughout 2020 in Luzerne County.
Sweeping changes to Pennsylvania election law took effect this year, including the implementation of âno-excuseâ mail-in voting.
The primary and general elections were held in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which led to a flood of requests for mail-in ballots.
The county unveiled a new secure voting system, which was only partially implemented in the primary because of pandemic-related concerns.
An incident at the county bureau of elections drew nationwide attention and led to a federal investigation.
President Donald Trump, a Republican, and his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, made campaign stops in the region leading up to a hotly contested presidential election.