Lawrence County treasurer should handle job with care
Here's some friendly advice for Lawrence County's new treasurer, Ronald Patrick: Do no harm. Don't forget, you're just a caretaker.
We use the word friendly because we want to believe that Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell did his due diligence in evaluating Patrick's credentials when he tapped him for the county treasurer's position.
And we want to believe that the Pennsylvania State Senate closely reviewed Patrick's r & eacute;sum & eacute; and experience when it confirmed him.
As for our advice to the new treasurer to do no harm, that stems from what his predecessor, Gary Felasco, did to Lawrence County's finances and to the public's trust in government.
Felasco is currently serving a state prison sentence of one to seven years, which we said last August was a travesty of justice. A jury found him guilty of theft, embezzlement, conflict of interest and misapplication of entrusted property of government or financial institutions. He could have received a sentence of up to five to 10 years for the most serious of charges. We had urged a 10-year term.
Felasco could be considered for parole in August if he behaves himself in prison and helps officials understand how he was able to divert public funds for his personal use. Parole would be salt in taxpayers' wounds.
It is this sordid chapter in the history of the treasurer's office that made the appointment of Felasco's successor so important.
Surprise
So when county officials, including commissioners and state legislators, expressed surprise last week at Patrick's selection, we wondered whether Gov. Rendell got all the advice he needed to make the proper decision.
Since Felasco's departure, Chief Deputy Cathy Toscano has been performing the duties of treasurer. Toscano is seeking the Democratic Party nomination in the upcoming primary.
If there is a silver lining in the unusual way that Patrick, a Neshannock Township resident, owner of Patrick Advisory Service in New Castle, got the job, it is that he will not be a candidate this year. That was a condition insisted upon by state Sens. Gerald LaValle, D-Rochester, and Bob Robbins, R-Greenville, in the wake of the Felasco fiasco. LaValle and Robbins said that a caretaker treasurer was needed. Good for them. It would not have served the public's interest to have someone in the position who was preoccupied with the upcoming election.
Patrick is a certified public accountant, but has no background in government financing. A spokesman for the governor said Rendell needed feedback from local leaders, which is why it took so long to name Felasco's successor.
Given that Patrick will be in office until early January 2008, when the current term expires, he should spend the next couple of weeks getting to know other Lawrence County officeholders, starting with the commissioners. He is scheduled to begin his assignment on April 1.
It would also be to his advantage to seek the advice of other county treasurers in Pennsylvania and to reassure his office staff, including Chief Deputy Toscano, that he does not intend to make wholesale changes in the operation, nor follow in his predecessor's footsteps.
After Felasco's criminal behavior, Lawrence County needs a treasurer who will be a good steward of the public's money.
We hope Gov. Rendell and the State Senate made the right decision.