Help wanted: Lebanon County treasurer’s job to be filled by Governor Josh Shapiro

Looking for a new job?

Have a desire to be a public servant?

Are you a registered member of the Republican Party?

If you answered yes to these questions, especially the last one, then you might want to consider sending a cover letter and resume to the governor’s office to apply for the position of Lebanon County treasurer. 

That position will need to be filled at a point near the end of September with the appointee serving in that role through the end of 2027. 

That row office became poised to open up when Lebanon County treasurer Sallie Neuin’s retirement was announced by the county’s human resources department director at the Aug. 7 meeting of the Lebanon County Commissioners. A public servant for 21 years, Neuin’s resignation is effective Sept. 26.

Read More: County Commissioners learn treasurer Neuin to retire next month after 21 years

That announcement triggered a process by which that position, which is typically elected by voters, will be temporarily filled by Gov. Josh Shapiro through the end of 2027. The public will vote on that row office position in the November 2027 municipal election, and whoever wins that office will become county treasurer in 2028.

“Persons interested in being appointed may send a cover letter and resume to the Governor’s Office,” said Will Simons, a Shapiro administration spokesman, about the temporary appointment.

The governor will select an individual to fill the vacancy, and then that individual must be confirmed by the Pennsylvania Senate, as noted in state law. A portion of Act 130 of 1955 states: 

“… it shall be the duty of the Governor to appoint a suitable person to fill such office, who shall continue to hold and discharge the duties of the office until the first Monday in January following the next municipal election occurring not less than ninety days after the occurrence of the vacancy, or for the balance of the unexpired term, whichever period is shorter. If there is a municipal election occurring not less than ninety days after the occurrence of the vacancy, other than the one at which the office ordinarily is filled, then the office shall be filled at that election for the balance of the unexpired term. Such appointee shall be confirmed by the Senate if in session.”  

The compiler’s note for the act also states that, “relating to the Governor’s filling vacancies in certain elected offices, including elected county row offices, with the advice and consent of a majority of the Senate, and requiring that the person appointed be of the same political party as was the person who vacated the office on the date that the person vacating the office took the oath of office.”

Since Neuin was elected as a Republican, the individual who is appointed by the governor must be from that party, according to state law.

Jamie Wolgemuth, county administrator, noted that timing matters on how the governor addresses a row office vacancy to be filled under his purview.

“If Sallie would have said last December or January that she was resigning, it would have been placed on the ballot for this year’s municipal election,” Wolgemuth said. “For someone to serve the remaining two years since she resigned effectively in September, then we’re already through the municipal election (this year) and next year is a federal election for Congress and such.”

With a September 2025 resignation date, the next time the position could actually be on the ballot is in 2027, according to Wolgemuth.

“So then it couldn’t be on the ballot again until ’27, which is when it’s going to already be on the ballot anyway. Basically, there’s this sort of point of no return that if the person resigns, you know outside of that window, it then just gets filled for its remainder,” Wolgemuth added.

Asking Wolgemuth what role the county has in filling the position, Wolgemuth said none and referred LebTown to state Sen. Chris Gebhard (R-48), whose legislative district includes Lebanon County, to address the process.

“The decision is 100 percent the governor’s,” said Gebhard. “If they came to us and asked for our opinion, we’d certainly be open to discussions with them, but that’s something they’d have to initiate.”

Simons explained why it’s the governor’s decision.

“Article IV Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution gives the governor the power to fill vacancies in the offices of auditor general, state treasurer, justice, judge, justice of the peace in any other elective office he is authorized to fill, with the advice and consent of the Senate of Pennsylvania,” Simons said. “In the case of a vacancy in a county row office, the duties of the office are carried out by the principal deputy until a replacement is appointed or elected.”

Gebhard recommended that LebTown readers interested in the job reach out to the governor’s office.

“If it was me and I was interested in the position, I’d contact the governor’s office,” he said. “He is the one who makes appointments at all levels: DJs, (district justices), judges, and hundreds of boards from all over the commonwealth. This position does require Senate confirmation.”

As of the middle of last week, Gebhard said he had not talked to the governor about the opening. 

“One of the things that we had heard, that we were told is the governor won’t make a recommendation until the vacancy actually occurs,” Gebhard said. “As far as a timeline, I’ve heard stories that it (filling the vacancy) could happen quickly or that it may take time.”

The governor does know about the resignation because state law required Neuin to send a letter of resignation, which Wolgemuth told LebTown had occurred. 

Gebhard explained that the Senate doesn’t confirm appointments in a piecemeal fashion. Names for all sorts of vacancies filled by the governor are sent to the Senate on a periodical basis and en masse.

“Some of it (the timeline) may be how long it takes to get a package of names together since they do not come to us on an individual basis but as a package deal,” he said.

Gebhard said he’s not planning to make a recommendation to the governor for Neuin’s replacement. However, he said his door is always open to constituents who are interested and qualified to do the job.

“We meet with anybody and everybody who wants to meet. We do not have a closed door policy,” Gebhard said. “If they contact our office and they said we’re interested in this, we certainly would be like, ‘Hey, we’re happy to have a conversation,’ you know, and if we can be helpful and it makes sense, we would be helpful.”

Gebhard still advised interested individuals to contact the governor’s office.

“The governor’s got a lot of people who work for him, so I’m sure somebody there is compiling a list (of candidates),” he said.

LebTown had asked Gebhard, Wolgemuth, a County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania representative, and the governor’s press office how these positions are filled when the governor is most likely unfamiliar with anyone who may apply for a given job.

In several instances when asking that question, LebTown was cited Act 130, which, again, says it is the governor’s decision to make and that the name he forwards must be confirmed by a majority vote of the Pennsylvania Senate. That question, as well as others, including the expected timeline for the process for this particular position to be decided, were left unanswered by the governor’s spokesperson.

Wolgemuth said until the treasurer’s position is confirmed by a vote of the Senate, Lebanon County’s first deputy treasurer will automatically fill the role following Neuin’s last day. 

Concerning some of the treasurer’s job responsibilities, Lebanon County’s website states that the county treasurer is charged with collecting a variety of taxes, and: “In addition to collecting and depositing all monies due to the county, and maintaining the records of the various savings and checking accounts, the county treasurer is also responsible for investing all funds. The county treasurer’s office issues the following licenses: bingo, small games of chance, dog, fishing, hunting and antlerless deer, and also the provisional firearms permit.”

The treasurer’s position pays just under $70,000 for 2025, according to Wolgemuth.