WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Luzerne County Manager David Pedri announced Friday that he is stepping down from his county post to take a job in the private sector.
Pedri said in a release that his resignation will be effective on July 6, 2021.
Pedri also said he has decided against running for Luzerne County district attorney, a position he had been encouraged to pursue.
On the day of his resignation, Pedri met with Newswatch 16 to talk about his career, starting with day one.
"My first day here as county manager, I came in and I said, 'Listen, we're going to change everything right away.' but You learn really fast that it takes time, and you got to take little steps," Pedri said. "I'm proud of what we've done over here."
Restoring the courthouse rotunda was one of Pedri's first projects when he started. Nets and fallen plaster blocked the view for visitors, but he says this wasn't as challenging as other problems he faced in the county.
"In my time as county manager, we've had an ice jam flood, we had a firebombing, we had numerous blizzards, we had cyber-attacks. The most difficult thing we ever did was a 2020 pandemic, and it was so difficult to come out to the media every single day and talk about the people who passed away and doing those types of things. But now we're getting on the other side of it, we've done the testing sites, we've done the vaccination sites, we're getting to the point that we're beyond it, so hopefully, everyone has a great summer, and hopefully people will be moving on."
Pedri says serving the Luzerne County community remains important to him and is something he will continue to do in his new role.
"I hope that I gave as much as I possibly could. This is Luzerne County, and I hope that I have added a little bit of benefit to their lives, into all of our lives here," Pedri added. "I think all any of us can do is do the right things for the right reasons. I've always tried to do that in my time here, and I'm looking forward to supporting whoever the county council chooses next in this role."
There is no word from county officials on when the position of county manager will be filled.