Former Lawrence Co. planner loses lawsuit over his firing

NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A common pleas judge has ruled in favor of the Lawrence County commissioners in a lawsuit brought by a former employee.
Judge J. Craig Cox ruled through summary judgment that county Commissioners Roger DeCarbo, Ed Fosnaught and Brian Burick did not violate Pennsylvania's open-records laws, also called the Sunshine Act, when firing county Planning Director Stephen Craig on Jan. 13, 2000, by eliminating his office.
Commissioners combined the county planning and county recycling office into one entity at that meeting and made Recycling Director Amy Jo Labi-Carando director of both offices. Craig had filed a lawsuit contending commissioners did not properly advertise the private meeting held to talk about his job, and he had asked that the commissioners be individually liable in the case.
Judge Cox, in a written order, stated he could find no legal authority holding the commissioners individually liable and stated that a vote taken at a later public meeting, which eliminated Craig's position, cured any violation of the state Sunshine Law. Craig could not be reached Monday evening for comment.