BY STACI WILSON

A candidate for Susquehanna County Commissioner questioned the current office holders about the county’s procedures for citizens to get information.

Candidate Edna Paskoff said the answer to everything is to fill out a Freedom of Information Act request. She said that the voter registration office should have the information on file available.

“Everything in this county is not secret,” she said. “I would like to have information without having to FOIA everything.”

Paskoff was specifically questioning the appointment of a judge of elections in Forest Lake Twp., and looking for the information on who made the appointment. Paskoff said 15 names were rejected for the post.

She also said that there was no court order on file in the prothonotary’s office regarding the appointment.

Alan Hall said there is private personnel information that can’t be released to the public but agreed that it should be easier to get public records.

“If it’s a common sense thing, ‘fill out the form’ should not be the response,” Hall said.

Bruce Paskoff questioned information he received from the new voter registrar, Lawrence Hardy, regarding poll watchers.

Hardy was hired as the Director of Elections/Voter Registrar by the commissioners per the recommendation of the election board, in a special meeting, held April 6.

Commissioner Michael Giangrieco said the statute clearly lays out the process for the appointments, and political parties may appoint three, and each candidate can appoint two.

Giangrieco said he would make sure the voter registration department had the correct information.

Audience member Vera Scroggins questioned the state of the roads in the county.

Hall said he believed the main arteries are the worst he’s seen with the cold weather, lack of maintenance and time between resurfacing all taking a toll on road conditions.

But, he said, there are several major road projects planned by PennDOT in the county this year. He spoke about worked on routes 706, 167 and 29, as well as slide and bridge repairs.

In other business, the commissioners exonerated the Tax Claim Bureau from collecting $41.37 in delinquent taxes from 2013 and 2014 on a trailer in the name of Stuart and Dorothy Burton in New Milford Borough.

The trailer was deleted by the Assessment office on April 10 as razed.

The commissioners also signed the 902 Recycling Development and Implementation Grant in the amount of $163,734.

Hall said the county applies for the state grant each year, and funds from the grant are used for facility improvements.

The commissioners tabled signing an agreement with Harrington Drug Testing, of Clarks Summit.

Giangrieco questioned the costs associated with the testing and said he wanted more information.

In personnel matters, Jamie Rosar, Miranda MacMyne and Damon Sandle were hired as part-time corrections officers.

The commissioners also acknowledged the transfer of LuAnn Myers from Real Estate Tax Clerk to the second deputy Clerk of Courts position, effective April 23.
Suzanne Swart was hired as a casework supervisor, effective May 1, in Children and Youth.