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Pocono News Section
One On One with Luzerne County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla
One On One with Luzerne County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla - Monday, February 18, 2008 at 10:21PM EST
Monday, Feb 18, 2008 @10:21pm EST
LUZERNE COUNTY- A day she'd dreamed about. Being sworn in as a Luizerne County Commissioner.
Maryanne Petrilla had run before and lost. Now the time was right. Petrilla grew up in a politically active home "my dad was a delegate to President Humphrey's campaign and mom was on council in the small town where I grew up. So it was always just a big event in our house. Election day was always a big event in our house."
She was raised in Schuykill County. Attended catholic school and graduated from Cardinal Brennan Then- it was on to business school. She got married 26 years ago, had two sons.and worked for a state representative when they went to kindergarten.
Then she branched out on her own politically taking the reigns at Manager of Butler Township. A post she held for 11 years. "Coming here after being there it's all the same” says Petrilla “It's just bigger numbers and bigger issues."
After an unsuccessful run for commissioner, Maryanne Petrilla did find success in the county controller's office.
Two years later, another try for commissioner, "Commissioner Skrepenak and I talked and I said to him- well it's always been my goal to be a commissioner and if the time is right- I'll do it."
Not only did she win -- she got more votes than the others, "Throughout out the campaign people told me that I was going to be the top vote getter and I was like- oh sure, yeah right."
But scandal at the court house soon overshadowed her victory. A debit card debacle with high profile county leaders in the middle of it all.
Tens of thousands of dollars unaccounted for. An F-B-I investigation and calls for resignations.
Many people demanding -- why didn't she do something? Petrilla tells us "No bills ever came to the controller's office to be paid. What happened was- that comes right out of the bank statement and it's out of the bank before the statements even come to the courthouse."
Those statements go to the treasurer's office. "Because of that debit card situation, we have lost credibility with the people now they don't see Luzerne County as an up and coming place."
The debit cards are gone. Now- it's time for change. Petrilla says- no more business as usual, "I believe that everything that the county does should be scrutinized. I have no objection to being scrutinized because i believe that if you do things the right way you don't need to worry about it because everything will be right and everything will be on the up and up and people will see that everything is justified."
The first woman to chair the county commissioners -- vows to move beyond the politics.
In fact, she's already voted with Minority Commissioner Steve Urban on some issues. Leaving her fellow majority Commissioner Greg Skrepenak on his own.
"I don't believe at all because you are of the same party politically that you have to agree no matter what." Says Petrilla. "We are 3 commissioners. We were elected by the people. And we're here to run the county the best we know how."
Her goal: to restore faith in Luzerne County. "I hope that the next 4 years we can spend as much resources as we possibly can to do some really to make them feel like wow Luzerne County is really moving in the right direction."
And she'll do it -- in the only way she knows how. Petrilla would like to spend two terms in office to see some key projects carried through. After that she would like to relax a little and travel with her husband.
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