Holly Herman
Reading Eagle
READING, Pa. — Five applicants will be interviewed by a panel selected to fill the post of Berks County Prison warden following former Warden George A. Wagner’s sudden retirement Jan. 31.
Kevin S. Barnhardt, prison board chairman and county commissioner, said the panel received 17 applicants for the job of overseeing the Bern Township jail, which houses more than 1,100 inmates.
The panel, which was named by the county prison board, then selected five for interviews.
The panel consists of Christine M. Sadler, prison board solicitor; Carl E. Geffen, chief operations officer; Arnie Wetzel, human resources director; Matthew J. Connell, a Chester County civil rights attorney; and Mary Sabol, York County Prison warden.
Those who are being interviewed include one prison employee. The others are from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida and Minnesota.
The interviews are expected to occur within the next two weeks. The panel will make recommendations to the prison board, which will conduct second interviews and make the final selection.
The annual salary range for the warden is $68,479 to $114,349.
“We hope to fill the position by June,” Barnhardt said.
Barnhardt said Wagner, who has resided in Heister’s Mansion, a county house on the prison property, since he became warden in 1981, is moving next month to a property in Bern Township.
He said Heister’s mansion will likely be renovated for county administrative offices and training programs.
“This is the last property in the state where a warden resided on the grounds of the prison,” Barnhardt said.
Barnhardt said the warden began living on the prison grounds at a time when there were no cellphones for immediate access if there was a problem at the jail.
He said the jail has been running smoothly with Janine L. Quigley as the acting warden working with the chief deputies.
“They are all doing a great job,” he said. “Nothing bad has happened.”
He said the prison renovation project and security upgrade is still in progress.
Wagner said during an interview in February that he retired because he was tired of the stress of the job and wanted to relax or possibly work in a more positive environment.