Tuesday, November 26, 2002
It is unclear if the Senate will vote before recessing Wednesday.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania Senate is considering appointing a new coroner for Lawrence County.
Gov. Mark Schweiker nominated Roger M. DeCarbo Jr., 30, of Neshannock Township to fill the unexpired term of J. Russell Noga.
Noga retired in January after serving in the job 18 years. His son, Russell S. Noga, has been acting coroner for the past 11 months.
Schweiker, a Republican, nominated DeCarbo, a Democrat and the son of county Commissioner Roger M. DeCarbo, on Nov. 15, said spokeswoman Jill Goodrich.
Goodrich said it is not unusual for the governor to nominate someone of another political party to a position that has been left vacant by someone in that same political party.
Previous nomination
Schweiker had twice nominated Theo McCracken, a Republican, to fill Noga's unexpired term, but it was never voted on by the Senate.
State Sen. Gerald LaValle of Rochester, D-47th, said he would not approve McCracken. It is common for the sitting senator from a district to approve of the nomination before the Senate votes.
LaValle said he has no problem with DeCarbo's nomination because he is Democrat.
"I have said from day one and made it very clear that it was a Democratic seat, therefore, I insisted a Democrat be nominated. The people of Lawrence County voted for a Democrat," he said.
LaValle said he was unsure if the nomination would be voted on before the Senate recesses Wednesday. He said there are numerous other nominations the Senate is considering and it may not make it to a vote.
If not voted on by Wednesday, the nomination will expire before the Senate reconvenes in January. The new governor will then take office and must make his own nominations.
Any nomination must be approved by two-thirds of the Senate.
Plans to run
DeCarbo, a licensed funeral director, said he plans to run for coroner in the coming election even if his nomination is not approved.
He said he sent his qualifications to the governor's office shortly after J. Russell Noga announced his retirement and he believes that's where the governor got his name for the nomination.
DeCarbo said his father's involvement in politics inspired him to want to be coroner. The elder DeCarbo was elected two terms as a county commissioner and also served on New Castle City Council.
"When you've been around it all your life, there's a point you want to get involved. Why coroner? I've seen the pitfalls of some other political offices. Coroner has always been a position a licensed funeral director has filled, and I always said if I ran for office it would be coroner," he said.
If his nomination is approved, DeCarbo will be required to take 32 hours of educational courses and pass a written test given by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office, according to the Pennsylvania State Coroner's Association.