The Luzerne County Council is elected by the voters of the county. The governing body consists of eleven members. Nearly half the council is up for election every two years. It rotates between five and six seats. Each council member is elected at-large (to a four-year term). Councilors may serve no more than three consecutive terms.[1]
In the May primary, the major political parties (Democratic and Republican) select their top candidates for the general election. For example, those who place in the top five or six become the nominees of their party. Third party (or independent) candidates may also join the race. In the November general election, all political parties/candidates square off on the same ballot. Those who place in the top five or six will be elected or re-elected to council.
On Tuesday, November 2, 2010, Luzerne County adopted a home rule charter by a margin of 51,413 to 41,639.[2] [3] The following year (in 2011), the first election for the new government was held. On Monday, January 2, 2012, the previous government (the board of county commissioners) was abolished and replaced with the new form of government (council–manager government). The first members of the Luzerne County Council were sworn in that same day. The council chair, who is appointed by his or her fellow council members, is both the highest-ranking officer on the council and the head of county government for ceremonial purposes.[4] The first council chair was Jim Bobeck.[5]
The first primary elections for Luzerne County Council were held on Tuesday, May 17, 2011. Eleven Democratic nominees and eleven Republican nominees were selected in the primary elections.
The first general election for Luzerne County Council was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2011. The first eleven members were elected, consisting of six Democrats, four Republicans, and one independent. The first councilmen were Rick Morelli, Stephen A. Urban, Jim Bobeck, Stephen J. Urban, Tim McGinley, Edward Brominski, Harry Haas, Rick Williams, Elaine Maddon Curry, Linda McClosky Houck, and Eugene Kelleher. The top six vote getters in the general election were given four-year terms. The rest were given two-year terms.[6] The newly elected government was sworn in on January 2, 2012.
| Seats after the election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of seats | ||||
| Democratic | 6 | ||||
| Republican | 4 | ||||
| Independent | 1 | ||||
The second set of primary elections were held on Tuesday, May, 21, 2013. Five Democrats and five Republicans were nominated. Democrat Elaine Maddon Curry did not seek re-election.
The second general election was held on Tuesday, November 5, 2013. Five seats were up for election. Councilwoman Linda McClosky Houck was the top vote-getter (with 18,980 votes). Eileen Sorokas and Kathy Dobash were both newly elected to council. Eugene Kelleher was the only incumbent to lose his seat in the general election. In the end, the number of seats per political party remained the same—six Democrats, four Republicans, and one independent.
| Seats after the election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of seats | ||||
| Democratic | 6 | ||||
| Republican | 4 | ||||
| Independent | 1 | ||||
The third round of primary election were held on May 19, 2015. Six Democrats and six Republicans were nominated. Democrat Jim Bobeck and Republican Rick Morelli did not seek re-election.Democrat Robert Schnee lost the Democratic nomination, but won the Republican nomination with 384 write-in votes. Former councilman Eugene Kelleher also won a Republican nomination via write-in votes.[7]
The third general election was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2015. Six seats were up for election. In the November general election, Robert Schnee and Jane Walsh-Waitkus were both newly elected to council. Even though Robert Schnee won the election as a Republican, he would serve as a Democrat. Stephen J. Urban was the only incumbent to lose his seat in the general election.
| Seats after the election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of seats | |||||
| Democratic | 7 | |||||
| Republican | 3 | |||||
| Independent | 1 | |||||
| Note: Robert W. Schnee won the general election as a Republican, but served as a Democrat. | ||||||
The fourth set of primary elections were held on Tuesday, May 16, 2017. Five Democrats and five Republicans were nominated. Republican Kathy Dobash and Democrat Eileen Sorokas did not seek re-election.[8]
The fourth general election was held on Tuesday, November 7, 2017. Independent councilman Rick Williams, who as an independent did not appear on any primary ballot, did not seek reelection.[9] Sheila Saidman, Matthew Vough, and Chris R. Perry were newly elected to council.[10] The Democratic majority grew from seven seats to eight.
| Seats after the election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of seats | ||||
| Democratic | 8 | ||||
| Republican | 3 | ||||
The fifth round of primary elections were held on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. Six Democrats and six Republicans were nominated. Democrat Edward Brominski, who was up for re-election that year, resigned in January due to health issues.[11] By February, the council appointed Patrick Bilbow to serve out the remainder of his term.[12] Republican Eugene Kelleher, also up for re-election in 2019, resigned in August. His seat was filled by Rick Morelli, who did not seek election to a full term.[13] Democrat Stephen A. Urban did not seek re-election.
Only four Republicans appeared on the ballot, the other two nominations were secured via write-in vote. Lee Ann McDermott had 454 write-in votes, and Councilman Robert Schnee received 417 write-in votes. Because Schnee had also won a Democratic nomination, he became the only candidate in council history to appear on the November ballot as both a Democrat and a Republican.[14]
Following the November 5 general election, the balance of power shifted for the first time in council history with Republicans securing the majority. Republicans Lee Ann McDermott, Walter Griffith, and Kendra Radle were newly elected to council. Former Republican Councilman Stephen J. Urban, who lost his seat four years earlier, was also elected. Incumbent Democrats Patrick Bilbow and Jane Walsh-Waitkus lost their seats. Although Schnee secured both the Democratic and Republican nominations in 2019, he was sworn in as a Democrat.[15]
| Seats after the election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of seats | |||||
| Republican | 6 | |||||
| Democratic | 5 | |||||
| Note: Robert Schnee secured both Democrat and Republican nominations, but was sworn in as a Democrat. | ||||||
|-! style="background-color: #800080; width: 2px;" || style="width: 130px" | Democratic/Republican| | Robert W. Schnee (incumbent)| align="right" | 28,588| align="right" | 11.02|-
The sixth round of primary elections were held on Tuesday, May 15, 2021. Five Democrats and five Republicans were nominated. Democrat Linda McClosky Houck and Republican Harry Haas were prevented from running again due to term limits.[16]
The sixth general election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. Incumbent Democrats Sheila Saidman and Matthew Vough were defeated for re-election. Republicans swept all contested seats in the election; the party's majority grew to 10. Democrat Robert Schnee had previously change his affiliation to Republican in June 2020. Councilman Tim McGinley was left as the only Democrat on council. Incumbent Councilman Walter Griffith, who was not up for re-election, was elected as county controller in 2021. He remained in his council seat until the end of the year. He was replaced by Carl Bienias III in February 2022.[17]
| Seats after the election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of seats | |||||
| Republican | 10 | |||||
| Democratic | 1 | |||||
| Note: Robert Schnee switched from Democrat to Republican in June 2020. | ||||||
The seventh round of primary elections were held on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Six Democrats and six Republicans were nominated. Republican Robert Schnee resigned after winning a special election for state representative. He was replaced by Matthew Mitchell in June 2022.[18] Republican Kendra (Radle) Vough did not seek re-election.[19] [20] Democrat Tim McGinley was term limited and prevented from running again; he was the last remaining inaugural member on the council. Republican Carl Bienias III lost re-nomination.[21]
The seventh general election took place on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. Incumbent Republicans Stephen J. Urban and Matthew Mitchell lost re-election.
| Seats after the election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of seats | ||||
| Republican | 7 | ||||
| Democratic | 4 | ||||
The eighth general election for Luzerne County Council will take place in 2025. The primary is scheduled for May 2025. There will be five Democratic nominees and five Republican nominees. The seats currently held by John Lombardo, Chris R. Perry, Brian Thornton, Kevin Lescavage, and Gregory S. Wolovich Jr. are up for election.