Lackawanna County launches Regional Recovery Task Force

A bipartisan group of state, county, and local elected officials recently launched the Regional Recovery Task Force for Lackawanna County residents and businesses.

The task force will frequently meet to establish short- and long-term goals for the eventual reopening of the county’s economy. The task force also will pursue state or federal funding.

There will be six separate work groups: business assistance/finance, education, marketing, public health, strategic planning, and workforce.

“Across our region and around the globe, we are facing an unprecedented public health and economic crisis – the depth and complexities of which we’ve never seen and we’ve never known. COVID-19 has changed the way we live, the way we work and the way we communicate,” the task force said in a statement. “It does not, however, diminish our resolve to come together to see our communities and our residents through this global pandemic.

Members of the task force include the mayor of Scranton, the president of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, a state senator, three Lackawanna County commissioners, and five state representatives who represent portions of Lackawanna County.

The task force will also work with the public safety experts, economic development professionals, and business leaders in the financial services and health care industries.