HONESDALE, PA — Tyler Hill resident Pat Robinson became the District Attorney of Wayne County on December 29, succeeding Janine Edwards, who won election last November and was sworn in as President Judge of the Wayne County Court of Common Pleas.

A Honesdale native, Edwards has practiced law in Wayne since 1997. After 14 years of private practice, Edwards ran and was elected as the first female district attorney of Wayne County in 2011. Running unopposed for a second term, she was re-elected in 2015. She succeeds Judge Raymond Hamill, who chose not to seek re-election.

Formerly Wayne’s first assistant district attorney, Robinson automatically filled the vacancy in accordance to state law enacted in 2001. Robinson will serve until January 6, 2020.

An Alabama native, Robinson has been an assistant district attorney in Wayne County for 24 years. He has served as the first assistant district attorney for the past 21 years under former district attorneys Mark R. Zimmer, Michael P. Lehutsky and Janine Edwards.

“I greatly appreciate the loyalty to me and confidence in me exhibited by Janine Edwards,” Robinson said. He will work with the local law enforcement community and the Pennsylvania State Police to enforce the law, firmly and fairly. “I believe in the rule of law and will enforce the criminal laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the very best of my ability regardless of the consequences.”

Commissioners take on construction

Meeting on January 4, the Wayne County Commissioners decided to abandon construction bids and proceed with renovations to the fourth floor of the courthouse annex with county labor.

On December 7, the county received a sole $84,291 bid from Grimm Construction for the planned renovations. County Engineer Steve Knash deemed it too high upon review. That bid was rejected on December 14 and the work was ordered to be re-advertised for opening on December 28.

The new round of bidding prompted four responses, the lowest coming at $57,000. Knash subsequently recommended against them, and on January 4 the commissioners formally rejected them, deciding instead to complete the work with in-house labor.

In other business, the commissioners: appointed

Alainna Propst to the Wayne Health and Hospital Authority Board for a term running through 2022, approved an agreement with Damascus Township for the provision of 911 equipment and recognized the judicial appointment of Judy Romich as the court tipstaff.

Meeting as the salary board, the commissioners and county treasurer Brian Field approved a schedule of 2018 starting part-time, per diem salaries and court-appointed fees; and 2018 salaries and rates by department.

The commissioners’ regular meetings are held at the courthouse annex at 10:30 a.m. each Thursday.