SCRANTON, Pennsylvania —Monday morning, in a 2-1 vote, Democrat Brenda Sacco was voted in as the new chair of the Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners, replacing fellow Democrat Bill Gaughan.
The shake-up follows Sacco's recent swearing-in as interim commissioner, filling the seat vacated by Matt McGloin, who resigned in February. Sacco’s appointment came less than two weeks before a November 4th special election where voters will decide who will complete McGloin’s unexpired term, which runs through January 2028.
Sacco and Republican Commissioner Chris Chermak cast the deciding votes to elevate her to chair. The lone dissenting vote was cast by Gaughan. The result ended Gaughan’s tenure as board chair, a position he had held since taking office in January 2024.
Reports are that the reorganization meeting quickly descended into confusion and confrontation. Supporters of Bill Gaughan filled the room, shouting “shame” and booing as the vote took place.
Prior to the final vote, an earlier attempt to reorganize deadlocked 1–1, with Sacco abstaining because the chair position carries a higher salary. Once she agreed to vote, the outcome shifted to 2-1, giving her the gavel.
Sacco’s recent swearing-in followed months of legal wrangling under the county’s Home Rule Charter process, a process Gaughan himself had challenged in court.
During the meeting, Gaughan pressed Sacco to commit to honoring the results of the upcoming special election, but she declined to do so, saying there were still “legal questions to be answered.” The exchange prompted Gaughan to refer to Sacco and Chermak as the county’s “new Republican majority.”
The morning’s vote not only shifted power on the board but underscored the deep political divide and legal uncertainty surrounding Lackawanna County government.