Westmoreland warden's job safe but performance to continue to be monitored

Westmoreland County Prison Warden John Walton’s job appears safe, for now.

During a prison board meeting Monday, Commissioner Gina Cerilli said there have been no new incidents since last month to suggest a personnel change involving the facility’s top job but she said she will continue to monitor Walton’s job performance.

“I did want to vote on this last month, but I had zero support from any other prison board member. If they want to continue having the warden be a liability then it’s on them,” Cerilli said.

Walton, warden at the jail since 2003, came under fire from Cerilli and a handful of current and former jail guards during the November prison board meeting about his handling of a suspended guard who later committed suicide.

Cerilli twice moved during the November meeting to fire Walton, but both efforts died for lack of support. She was unsuccessful in two similar attempts to have Walton fired in 2016.

Prison board members, including Commissioners Ted Kopas and Charles Anderson, along with Controller Jeff Balzer, District Attorney John Peck and Sheriff Jonathan Held, have said there is no basis to remove Walton from his post. A statement issued last month from Kopas and Anderson suggested prison and county administrators properly handled the personnel issues that resulted in the guard’s October paid suspension.

Walton has declined to comment about Cerilli’s efforts to fire him or his oversight of the jail’s operations.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.