Lackawanna County election board votes to place special commissioner election on Nov. 4 amid legal dispute

The Lackawanna County Board of Elections voted 2–0 with one abstention on Aug. 29 to declare a special election to fill the county commissioner vacancy and place that race on the Nov. 4, 2025, municipal general election ballot. The board postponed consideration of a separate special-election motion for the Clerk of Judicial Records until a continued meeting on Sept. 3, 2025, at noon.

The vote followed more than three hours of legal briefing and public comment about whether the election board has the authority to initiate a special election or must await action by the county commissioners or the courts. Paul Walker, speaking for the Lackawanna County Democratic Committee, argued the board lacked authority and that the Home Rule Charter’s appointment procedures must be followed; he urged the board not to place the matter on the ballot. "This election is not allowed under the applicable law," Walker said during public comment.

The dispute centered on Section 1.2–206 of Lackawanna County’s Home Rule Charter and several state statutes and court precedents. Judge Nealon, who said he had circulated memos to the commissioners in April and August outlining his reading of the charter and state law, summarized prior…