Pocono News Section

Waste Director Disagreement To Be Settled In Court

Waste Director Disagreement To Be Settled In Court - Friday, May 2, 2008 at 6:10PM EST

Reported by: Joe Holden
Friday, May 2, 2008 @ 06:10pm EST

STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY- Monroe County District Attorney David Christine is puzzled. The chief prosecutor Friday expressed concern over James Lambert's continued employment as executive director at the county's waste authority. "How can the chief operating officer, the person you rely on every day to work, manage the finances, to supervise, how can they have such a record?"

Christine wants Lambert disqualified and terminated. He filed a lawsuit seeking that action Thursday in the Court of Common Pleas.

Lambert pleaded guilty in 2004 to public corruption-related charged. He admitted his role in a pay-to-play scheme in 1999 while he was head of the Mercer County (NJ) Improvement Authority.

Monroe County Commissioners, waste authority board members and the district attorney are at odds over the classification of Lambert's role at the authority. He's held the job since October. The question remains is Lambert a public official? The waste authority's chairman says no. The D. A. disagrees.

"I think it's very unusual that a board of directors who serves the public interest would allow someone to remain in a position like Mr. Lambert once they found out that he has a prior criminal record for public corruption," Christine said.

The waste authority chairman, Lester Weinman, declined an on-camera interview. He told us on the phone Lambert has exceeded expectations at the authority and has brought nothing but progress. Weinman says Lambert is responsible for new and innovative programs. But Christine doesn't buy any of that as reason to keep Lambert around. The argument will boil down to wording in the state's constitution regarding the definition of a public official.

"Some members of the board have said he's done a great job. That's not the issue for me. If he's the type of public official who can have this record, it does not matter what his current situation is, he's not entitled to have the job," Christine said.

The process could last up to a year.