Embattled Westmoreland Register of Wills vows to remain in office through 2027

Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton, who faces a potential jail sentence next week for contempt of court, said Wednesday she will not seek reelection when her current term expires at the end of 2027.

“After careful consideration and prayer I have decided to retire from politics at the end of this term,” Hamilton wrote in a letter circulated to members of the Westmoreland County Republican Committee. “At this time I intend to remain in office until the end of this term. There are a number of projects and commitments that I would like to see through to fruition.”

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judges Harry Smail Jr. and Jim Silvis last month temporarily stripped executive duties from Hamilton and named Greensburg attorney Jim Antoniono to serve as conservator for the register of wills office.

Hamilton, a Hempfield Republican, was elected by voters last November to a third four-year term to head the courthouse office that oversees records related to adoptions, guardianships, marriage licenses and wills and estates. She continues to draw her annual salary of nearly $90,000.

“It was always my intention this would be my last term. It’s time to let my intentions be known so the (Republican) party can get ready,” Hamilton said during a brief interview on Wednesday in her courthouse office.

Hamilton is scheduled to appear before the judges on June 17 for a sentencing hearing in which she faces an array of penalties that include jail, probation and fines of up to $5,000 for each of the three contempt of court counts the judges imposed on her following two-days of hearings that concluded in April.

The judges ruled Hamilton violated two court orders that required the register of wills office to meet specific deadlines to clear backlogs in the processing of adoption certificates that officials said persisted for years dating back to at least 2019. The judges questioned Hamilton’s stewardship of the office, raised concerns about her repeated absences from work and failed efforts to ensure there was an adequate staff to handle the mandated functions of the register of wills.

Backlogs continued into early this year, according to court testimony. Hamilton has maintained her office is now up-to-date on office filings and fully staffed.

Additional concerns were raised last month by Westmoreland Controller Jeffrey Balzer, who said the register of wills office failed to make monthly payments into the county treasury of as much as $500,000 in court filing fees it collected during the first five months of 2024.

The judges ordered Hamilton’s office to make all required payments to both the county and state by the end of business on June 13.

Balzer said that as of late Wednesday afternoon the money had yet to be turned over by the register’s office.

“It is anticipated it will be here on Thursday,” Balzer said.