Director of tax claims bureau becomes third employee fired as commissioners seek change

SUNBURY - The director of the Northumberland County's tax claims bureau was fired Friday, becoming the most recent of several high-profile firings in the county this year.

Pat Yasenchak, head of the county's tax claim bureau, was fired Friday.

The firing was confirmed Friday afternoon by Commissioner Vinny Clausi, who, when asked for comment, would only say the firing took place because "the office needs to go in a new direction."

No other explanation was given.

Minority commissioner Kurt Masser had little to say about the situation, calling it a personnel matter.

"I don't comment on personnel matters," Masser said.

Yasenchak was escorted from her office by county security, according to procedure, Clausi said.

Attempts to reach Chairman of the Northumberland County Board of Commissioners Frank Sawicki for comment were unsuccessful.

Not the first

Two other employees have been fired this year as commissioners seek change within the county departments.

In March, Jim Golden, who had been the executive director of human senior and social services since 1996, was terminated after commissioners Masser and Clausi called the position unnecessary, citing financial difficulty in the county.

Clausi's desire to fire Golden echoed the reason he gave for firing Yasenchak.

"He was let go because the county wants to go in a new direction...," Clausi said in March.

When county Assessor Mike Diehl was fired in July, Chief Clerk Rose Marquardt made the same statement.

"The county would like to see the office go in a different direction," Marquardt said in July of Diehl's firing.

Four other county employees have also been fired in 2009.

In January, Steve Bartos, then the county's planning director, was terminated for insubordination. According to Bartos, he was fired for criticising the commissioners behind closed doors and attempting to obtain raises and overtime compensation for his employees.

Two months later, deputy prison Warden John Conrad was suspended without pay by the county's prison board for disciplinary reasons. Conrad was granted a hearing, but was later terminated by the board.

In July, Jona Diehl, of Paxinos, told the press she was wrongfully terminated from her job as deputy court administrator and falsely accused of leaking information to Clausi as he waged a battle with President Judge Robert Sacavage over money spent by the county's adult probation department. Jona Diehl was fired by Sacavage shortly after returning from two-months of family medical leave. She had been a part-time employee when she was fired.

Annette Gurba, first deputy prothonotary, was suspended without pay on Dec. 16, 2008, amid a state police investigation into possible criminal activity. The investigation cleared Gurba of any wrongdoing in March, and she looked forward to returning to work.

In July, however, authorities announced another criminal ongoing investigation and Gurba was terminated. The county hired an accounting firm in September to conduct an audit of the prothonotary's office to assist in the investigation, which continues.

Attempts reach Yasenchak for comment were unsuccessful.

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