Griffith: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Airport authority resolution invalid

Dec. 08--Monday's resolution from the Luzerne County commissioners to create an authority to run the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre International Airport is invalid, county Controller Walter L. Griffith Jr. alleges.

The commissioners failed to vote on a motion to advertise Monday's public hearing about the authority, Griffith said. The legal advertisement was published Nov. 4.

At Monday's hearing, County Assistant Solicitor Neil O'Donnell told Griffith that the commissioners, along with the Lackawanna County commissioners, decided to explore options about a new authority at a joint airport board meeting in October.

But Griffith insists the commissioners needed to vote on a motion at a commissioners meeting, and he said the new county council should consider seeking an injunction to stop the six-member authority from taking over as the airport's governing board.

The commissioners of Luzerne and Lackawanna counties have been in charge, and the three Luzerne County commissioners plan to appoint three members to the new authority next week. Luzerne County voters in 2010 adopted a home-rule charter to eliminate the current state-mandated form of government with three commissioners, and the new council takes over Jan. 2.

Voters on Nov. 8 elected the initial 11 members of the new county council. The charter says Luzerne County's representatives on the joint airport board will be the county manager, the council chair or a designee from among other council members and another council member until "the agreement between the counties of Luzerne and Lackawanna is amended or renegotiated."

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