Filed Under: Events || By Submitted Reports
Category: Cartoons, Commentary/Editorial || By Jason Togyer
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
Restoring the old name was one way that the chamber's board decided to heal some of those wounds, Burgwin says. Once known as the Mon-Yough Chamber of Commerce, the group went through a series of mergers before becoming the "RCA" in 2007.
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Category: Shameless Horn-Tooting || By Jason Togyer
State Rep. Marc Gergely and White Oak Florist have returned as sponsors again this year of our International Village webcast. Thank you to both of these sponsors!
Gergely has donated $250 in underwriting as a "challenge grant" and is asking for individuals to match his contribution. Thank you to Nancy N. and Larry and Rikki Berger of The Saturday Light Brigade for contributing their own donations toward matching Gergely's pledge!
Also, thank you to the kind soul who anonymously posted a note about our fundraising drive on the Radio-Info.com discussion board.
Just a friendly reminder that I hope you'll consider a donation to make this webcast possible --- and successful. (Any additional funds raised will go directly to offset the operation of Tube City Online and Tube City Almanac.)
Also, we continue to solicit advertising support from businesses and organizations. Details below.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
The former St. Pius V church and school is slated for demolition under a proposal approved by the city Planning Commission yesterday.
In a separate action, the commission also approved construction of a new Family Dollar store next to the Rite Aid pharmacy at the corner of Walnut Street and Eden Park Boulevard in the city's 12th Ward.
At a hearing Thursday afternoon, the commission by 5-0 vote approved a conditional use request from the Pauline Auberle Foundation to create a group home in the former St. Pius V rectory.
. . .
Auberle has operated its landmark home for boys and girls on Hartman Street since 1952. John Lydon, CEO of the Pauline Auberle Foundation, testified that the group is purchasing the St. Pius V property and wants to use the rectory as a residence for up to 22 girls ages 12 to 20.
The facility would be supervised 24 hours per day and would employ 22 people, he said. None of the girls are permitted to own vehicles and they would be driven to and from school, Lydon said.
"It's our intention to remodel the building to refit it for single rooms," Lydon said. expects to spend about $200,000 on renovating the rectory, he said.
. . .
The church and school would be demolished and the area turned into greenspace, Lydon said, including an outdoor pavilion for recreational and educational activities. Plantings would be used to create a privacy barrier between the facility and neighboring homes.
Located on Fremont and Boyd streets near Versailles Avenue, St. Pius V closed in February 2010, and the parish has since merged into nearby Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church.
No one spoke in opposition to the plan, which must now head to city council for final approval.
. . .
Family Dollar to Christy Park: In a separate, unrelated move, the commission by 5-0 vote approved a site plan submitted by JDH Capital of Charlotte, N.C., for construction of an 8,300 square foot retail store on Walnut Street in Christy Park.
The location --- adjacent to the current Rite Aid --- would become the home of a new Family Dollar store, said engineer John Cenkner of Acme, Westmoreland County, who testified on behalf of JDH. Pending approval by city council, construction could begin this summer.
The parcel is at the same intersection as a new Bottom Dollar grocery store being built on the site of the former Eat 'n Park, Keystone Auto Parts and Paul Jones Dodge.
. . .
In Other Business: Also approved by 5-0 votes were the subdivision of the former Reliance Steel property into three smaller lots; and the vacation of a so-called "paper alley" in Fawcett Plan.
The 2.9-acre parcel that will be subdivided is owned by an Forward Township firm and wraps around two sides of the Rite Aid store. The property is zoned for commercial use and the subdivision is necessary to market the site for development, said Norman McHolme, who testified on behalf of the property owners.
The alley being vacated is at the end of Delaware Avenue. Homeowner James Buckley requested the change to remedy parking and trespassing problems on the street, and told the planning commission he would take over responsibility for clearing the alley of overgrowth and debris.
All of the actions must be ratified by council at its July 6 meeting.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
According to a 1976 history of McKeesport, Holy Trinity was the city's third Roman Catholic church. Formed in 1892 by Slovak immigrants and their lodge, the Holy Trinity Protective Association, parishioners first worshiped in a former synagogue on Seventh Avenue. The church just demolished was constructed in 1911.
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Category: Announcements || By Jason Togyer
Thank you to Adam, Denise, Eric and Mari for their contributions to put our International Village webcast on the air. Just a friendly reminder that I hope you'll consider a donation to make this webcast possible --- and successful. (Any additional funds raised will go directly to offset the operation of Tube City Online and Tube City Almanac.)
Also, we continue to solicit advertising support from businesses and organizations. Details below.
For the past two years, Tube City Online has provided the only live, continuous coverage of International Village. Although there are two radio stations licensed to McKeesport, neither broadcasts from the Village any more.
That's despite the fact that tens of thousands of people attend the annual three-day festival --- and the fact that several hundred people tuned into our webcast last year.
. . .
Well, we plan to provide the same public service again this year from a new location ... but we can't afford to lose money on the event.
Wireless access alone will cost us $125. We've purchased a couple of handheld transmitters and microphones so that we can interview people live from around the festival --- used, those cost us about $50 at the recent Dayton Hamvention.
And the computers we bought last year turned out not to work, so now we're pricing a used laptop --- at least $300.
No one takes a salary from this event, and the executive director (me) will wind up subsidizing this from my own pocket. (If anyone wants to see the bills from last year, email me privately. We wound up spending about $1,000 on the three-day event.)
. . .
So ... we're again appealing to you for help. If you can donate a few dollars, we will very gladly and graciously accept your money. Use the ChipIn button to donate securely using PayPal or a credit card. And thank you!
. . .
In addition, we'd like to find a few sponsors to underwrite the broadcast. This is a great, low-cost opportunity to promote your church festival, volunteer fire department, labor union or other worthy cause.
If you want to advertise, please email me at jtogyer@gmail.com, or call me at (412) 614-9659:
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Category: Events || By Submitted Reports
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Category: News || By Submitted Report
The Great Allegheny Passage is one step closer to completion.
At a ceremony this morning in Munhall, representatives of Allegheny County, the Allegheny Trail Alliance and the Steel Valley Trail Council raised a ceremonial railroad crossing gate to officially open a three-mile section of the planned 150-mile biking and hiking trail.
Linda McKenna Boxx, president of the Allegheny Trail Alliance, called the new section "by far the most complicated piece of trail in our 30-year history of trail building."
She predicts the new section connecting the RIDC industrial park in Duquesne with the Waterfront shopping district in Munhall will become one of the most popular sections of the Great Allegheny Passage.
. . .
"There have already been hundreds of people on the trail since we informally opened it a week ago," Boxx said. "It will be used for recreation, but also by people who work at the Waterfront or the RIDC parks for commuting to work or going out for lunch."
The new three-mile section of trail runs from Grant Avenue in Duquesne to a new 110-foot-long, 37-ton bridge that crosses Norfolk Southern's Port Perry rail yard and connects to the southern end of the former U.S. Steel coke gas pipeline.
A second new bridge, which is 170 feet long and weighs 62 tons, crosses six sets of tracks operated by Norfolk Southern and Union Railroad. This second span connects the northern end of the coke gas pipeline trail to a portion of Allegheny County's Carrie Furnace site on the south side of the Monongahela River in Whitaker. From there, the trail connects to the Waterfront in Munhall.
Together, the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath will create a 335-mile traffic-free, non-motorized route between Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. The trail travels through a scenic and historic corridor, roughly following early footpaths leading west from the tidal areas of Virginia.
. . .
Development of the Great Allegheny Passage began in 1975. The trail will eventually form a continuous path between downtown Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Md., and then to Washington, D.C. McKeesport hosts one of the trailheads at the foot of Water Street, Downtown. A branch using the former Montour Railroad connects the trail to Pittsburgh International Airport.
"This is a transformational moment for our region, both economically and recreationally," said Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, adding that the passage opened this morning was the most difficult section of trail in the county because of the active rail lines and "numerous property owners."
The Munhall-Duquesne leg of the trail represents a significant milestone in the trail's history, he said.
"We are literally in the home stretch of finishing the entire 335-mile trail from downtown Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.," he said. "Less than one mile remains, and we are working hard to get it completed."
. . .
The final segment to be completed begins near the Costco store in West Homestead. The trail alignment will follow Sandcastle Drive and pass under a railroad bridge and the Glenwood Bridge. There, it will connect to a trail segment now under development, and then connect to the existing South Side trail.
During the past five years, Allegheny County and trail organizations negotiated with 18 individual property owners for easements or ownership of 28 separate parcels between McKeesport and Pittsburgh.
The county provided $1.6 million toward completion of the Great Allegheny Passage, including construction of the portal tunnel in Duquesne, property on the Carrie Furnace site, easements from railroads, engineering services and appraisals.
In addition, Allegheny County assumed ownership from U.S. Steel of the former Riverton railroad bridge, a 1,200-foot span that carries the Great Allegheny Passage across the Monongahela River between McKeesport and Duquesne.
The two new bridges dedicated today also are under county ownership. The state, private foundations and revenue from the county's 1 percent Allegheny Regional Asset District sales tax have together provided $11.5 million toward completion of the Great Allegheny Passage, said Kevin Evanto, Allegheny County spokesman.
(Editor's Note: This story was written entirely from a report submitted by Kevin Evanto, Allegheny County spokesman.)
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Category: News || By Jennifer Sopko
By Jennifer Sopko
Special to Tube City Almanac
Changes in the proposed state budget and early retirements could help ease the pain to students, faculty and taxpayers in the McKeesport Area School District.
At the board's agenda meeting Wednesday night, Business Manager David Seropian updated school directors on the district's revised preliminary budget, which now stands at $57.1 million.
Expenditure reductions coupled with additional revenues from anticipated state education funding means that the school district would only need to use a little over $2 million of its general reserve fund to make up the budget deficit, Seropian said. Originally, the board expected to use almost $4.2 million of the $6.5 million reserve.
Seropian said that personnel changes --- early retirement incentives accepted by 35 professional employees as well as some voluntary transfers throughout the district --- have saved approximately $781,000 in next year's budget.
Given these budget changes, it remains unclear whether the school district will raise taxes. In May, the board approved a preliminary budget including an increased tax rate of 17.05 mills --- a one-third mill increase, the maximum allowed without putting the question to referendum.
Seropian said that the final millage would be determined at the voting meeting next week.
The budget changes are contingent upon the restoration of education funding in the proposed state budget, which is currently under consideration by the state Senate. A budget resolution recently approved by the state House of Representatives would restore basic education funding to 2008-09 levels. If that plan passes the Senate, the district would get almost $1.1 million back in basic education funding that was cut by Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed spending plan.
"We've anticipated that we're going to get this money back from the state," Seropian said.
The state House also approved a 40 percent restoration of Accountability Block Grants throughout the state. Accountability Block Grants fund the all-day kindergarten program in McKeesport Area School District. Under the proposal, the district would receive almost $345,000.
"As long as nothing changes with the [state] budget, this is where we stand," said board vice president Steven Kondrosky.
In addition, Seropian explained that after tweaking some Title I federal program expenditures, which provide financial assistance for educating children of low-income families, it appears that the district would be able to maintain a daytime tutoring staff.
"That's very good news," said board member Patricia Maksin.
The district also qualifies for another year of Title II federal funding for class size reduction, which would generate over $408,000 in revenue. A final budget vote is expected at the board's regular meeting on June 22.
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Category: Announcements || By Jason Togyer
For the past two years, Tube City Online has provided the only live, continuous coverage of International Village. Although there are two radio stations licensed to McKeesport, neither broadcasts from the Village any more.
That's despite the fact that tens of thousands of people attend the annual three-day festival --- and the fact that several hundred people tuned into our webcast last year.
. . .
Well, we plan to provide the same public service again this year from a new location ... but we can't afford to lose money on the event.
Wireless access alone will cost us $125. We've purchased a couple of handheld transmitters and microphones so that we can interview people live from around the festival --- used, those cost us about $50 at the recent Dayton Hamvention.
And the computers we bought last year turned out not to work, so now we're pricing a used laptop --- at least $300.
No one takes a salary from this event, and the executive director (me) will wind up subsidizing this from my own pocket. (If anyone wants to see the bills from last year, email me privately. We wound up spending about $1,000 on the three-day event.)
. . .
So ... we're again appealing to you for help. If you can donate a few dollars, we will very gladly and graciously accept your money. Use the ChipIn button to donate securely using PayPal or a credit card. And thank you!
. . .
In addition, we'd like to find a few sponsors to underwrite the broadcast. This is a great, low-cost opportunity to promote your church festival, volunteer fire department, labor union or other worthy cause.
If you want to advertise, please email me at jtogyer@gmail.com, or call me at (412) 614-9659:
Read the rest of this story:
Category: News || By Jason Togyer
City council has finally approved a controversial grant program funded by former Mayor Jim Brewster's back pay.
At a special meeting Monday night, council voted 5-1 to release nearly $41,000 to 27 charitable organizations in the city. Councilman A.J. Tedesco Jr. cast the only no vote, while Councilman Darryl Segina was absent.
Among those voting yes --- after a long pause for consideration --- was newly installed Councilman Rich Dellapenna Jr., who was sworn in before the meeting by Magisterial District Judge Eugene Riazzi.
. . .
With the mayor's seat up for grabs in this fall's election, the grant program became a hot political topic, and action has been delayed for months.
The $41,000 for the Brewster grant program was approved by city council in December, was included in the 2011 budget and represents deferred compensation --- the difference between the salary that Brewster says he was owed and the paychecks he actually collected. Following his election to the state senate, the former mayor asked that the money be donated to the charities.
Under the city's Home Rule Charter, the mayor's salary is fixed at 5 percent more than the city administrator's. Brewster was actually paid less during his term than City Administrator Dennis Pittman.
. . .
Brewster's political opponents --- including City Controller Raymond Malinchak --- argued that Brewster wasn't entitled to the money because city council never officially voted to defer any of his salary. They have also argued that part of Pittman's compensation comes from his duties in the city's Community Development Department and shouldn't be counted as part of his salary.
In a written opinion to council, newly appointed City Solicitor Bruce Dice ruled that the mayor's compensation is based on Pittman's total salary, not a portion of it, and that council is legally allowed to disburse the money.
Councilwoman Fawn Walker, who earlier this month voted against acting on the Brewster grant program, said she was satisfied with Dice's legal opinion.
"But I agree with Councilman Segina that we need to (pass) an ordinance to make sure this doesn't happen again," Walker said.
. . .
During a public comment period before the vote, Beatrice Longo of Haler Heights, a frequent critic of city government, chastised council and argued that Dice shouldn't have made a ruling until he had reviewed every city budget and the minutes of every council meeting during Brewster's seven years in office.
Longo was the only resident who addressed council. But a handful of others in the audience hissed epithets at council members, including "bastards!" and "unbelievable," and one woman was reprimanded by Council President Mike Cherepko for shouting at the board.
Malinchak, who has been rumored to be considering a run for the mayor's office as an independent or write-in candidate, tried to interrupt the voting with questions, but was ruled out of order by Cherepko. "You've had five months to ask questions, Mr. Malinchak," Cherepko said. "Now, we're voting."
. . .
The charities receiving grants of $1,517 each include Carnegie Library of McKeesport, Charles Lickert Walking Trail, Christy Park United Methodist Church, The Consortium for Public Education, the Garden Club of McKeesport, Harrison Village Honor Roll (McKeesport Past and Present Reunion), Hope House (Sonshine Community Ministries), The Intersection, Kiesel Christian Rehab, LaRosa Boys and Girls Club of McKeesport, and the McKees Point Palisades Center for the Performing Arts.
Also receiving grants of $1,517 each are McKeesport NAACP, McKeesport Heritage Center, McKeesport Joint Task Force, McKeesport Kiwanis Club, McKeesport Lions Club, McKeesport Little Theater, McKeesport Meals on Wheels, McKeesport Ministerium, McKeesport Trail Commission, Noah's Ark Community Center (Bethlehem Baptist Church), Pauline Auberle Foundation, Renzie Park Senior Center, Salvation Army of McKeesport, Steel Valley OIC, Womansplace and YMCA of McKeesport.
Several of the organizations receiving grants are faith-based charities or churches. Attorney Chelsea Dice, who represented Bruce Dice at Monday's meeting, said a stipulation would have to be attached to those grants cautioning the recipients that the money could not be used for religious activities.
The meeting began with Dellapenna's swearing in. Council earlier this month appointed Dellapenna to fill the remaining months on the term of his late father, who died May 25. The younger Dellapenna's appointment was scheduled to begin on July 1, but Cherepko said after Monday's meeting that Dice informed council that the position couldn't be held open in that manner.
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Category: News || By Staff and Wire Reports
Friends and colleagues are mourning the death of former state Sen. Albert "Bud" Belan, whose funeral Mass has been scheduled for Saturday morning.
Belan, who died Tuesday at the age of 81, was "a strong man, (an) influential leader and a public official whose word was as good as his bond," said state Sen. Jim Brewster, Democrat of McKeesport. "He was well liked and held the interests of those he represented at heart --- in everything he did and everything he accomplished."
Brewster, who now represents the same district that Belan served in Harrisburg from 1989 to 2000, described Belan as a "friend and mentor," adding that "whether it was during his years as a local district justice, or later as a state senator, Bud Belan had an indelible sense of fairness and an abiding dedication to causes in support of working families."
State Rep. Marc Gergely, who early in his political career worked in Belan's office, said the senator "helped thousands of people to improve their lives."
"He was an excellent mentor and I am grateful for everything that he taught me," said Gergely, a Democrat from White Oak. "I join the many people who are mourning his passing and honoring his life and service."
Belan's 45th Senatorial District included Monroeville, much of the Allegheny County portion of the Mon Valley and several Westmoreland County communities, including North Huntingdon Township. In McKeesport, one of his lasting legacies is the 15th Avenue Bridge, which connects the city with Port Vue.
The current bridge replaced an 86-year-old steel-truss bridge whose weight and height restrictions had long plagued local businesses, commuters and emergency workers, because delivery trucks, buses and fire and rescue vehicles weren't permitted to cross the span. When the bridge was deemed unsafe and permanently closed in 1989, Port Vue, Liberty and Lincoln residents were forced to take long, circuitous detours.
With the backing of local elected officials, Belan lobbied state transportation officials to expedite the planning process for a new $22 million bridge, which opened in 1995. In 2005, Gergely introduced legislation to have the 15th Avenue Bridge dedicated to Belan.
. . .
A resident of Jefferson Hills, Belan was born in Munhall on March 7, 1930, the son of John and Helen Belan. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Belan attended the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University. He began his career as a West Mifflin police officer and was elected to West Mifflin Area School Board in 1970 and borough council in 1972, serving as council president. From 1976 to 1988, Belan was a district magistrate in the West Mifflin area.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, the former Elizabeth Vehec; a daughter, Laurie Gadwin of Gahanna, Ohio; two grandchildren, three nieces and a nephew. He was preceded in death by his sisters Helen and Ann and brothers John and Andrew.
Friends will be received from 6 to 9 p.m. today and from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at Savolskis-Wasik-Glenn Funeral Home, 3501 Main St., Munhall. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Sylvester Roman Catholic Church, Brentwood, with interment to follow at Jefferson Memorial Cemetery, Pleasant Hills.
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Category: News || By Submitted Reports
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Category: Announcements || By Jason Togyer
Several people have written to say they can't find contact information for Tube City Online and The Tube City Almanac. (Ironically, the spammers find us just fine.)
You can email me directly by clicking on my name at the end of any story I've written.
Otherwise, please send press releases, announcements, advertising inquiries, news tips and other information to tubecitytiger at gmail dot com.
. . .
Advertising Policy: On a somewhat related note, I have been contacted twice in recent days by companies that want to advertise on Tube City Online. Unfortunately, what they really want me to do is publish "articles" written by their advertisers, and not label them as "advertising." (This is designed not just to fool readers, but to fool search engines.)
As much as I would love to take their money --- because we need the money --- Tube City Online does not and will not accept any advertising without labeling it as "advertising." If there is a sponsored message on any of the sites operated by Tube City Community Media Inc., it will either be an obvious advertisement (for instance, a graphic banner ad) or labeled as an "advertisement."
We may be mistaken sometimes, but we are not for sale. In other words, "We may be cheap, but we're not easy."
So ... want to advertise? We have a list of rates and terms online.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
It's still unclear whether nearly $41,000 in "deferred compensation" for former Mayor Jim Brewster will be released from the city's treasury.
Council last night deadlocked 3-3 over a resolution to disburse the money. Brewster has argued the money represents the difference between the paycheck he collected during seven years as mayor, and what he was actually owed under the city's Home Rule Charter.
The money was included in the 2011 budget approved by city council in December. Brewster, now a state senator, has asked the city to divide the money among 27 local charities.
. . .
At issue is language in the charter that fixes the mayor's salary at 5 percent above the salary of the city administrator. City Administrator Dennis Pittman was paid $67,000 during Brewster's term in office, while Brewster was paid $60,000.
But opponents of the deal --- including City Controller Ray Malinchak, who frequently sparred with Brewster and Pittman --- claim that $10,000 of Pittman's salary is actually paid for his duties in the city's Community Development Department, not for serving as city administrator. That would put Pittman's "real" salary at $57,000, meaning that Brewster wouldn't be owed any back pay.
Newly appointed City Solicitor Bruce Dice last night said that argument probably doesn't add up. It doesn't matter from what line items in the budget the money was paid, he said.
"I can appreciate that people say it came from different sources," Dice said, "but the fact remains that (Pittman's) salary, that he paid taxes on, that the IRS is looking at, was $67,000."
. . .
Two council members --- Darryl Segina and A.J. Tedesco Jr. --- also argued last night that Brewster had no authority to defer his compensation.
While serving as mayor, Brewster told reporters that he was foregoing part of his salary. And then-Council President Regis McLaughlin and then-Vice President Dale McCall wrote a memo in 2009 agreeing that Brewster was entitled to a salary 5 percent higher than Pittman's $67,000.
But that agreement was never put to a vote by city council. "He can't come back to us eight years later and say, 'I want this money I should have gotten raises on,'" Segina said.
Tedesco argued that Brewster submitted a budget each year fixing the mayor's salary at $60,000. Those budgets should supersede any other deals, he said, adding "I do not believe there was ever an agreement between this council and the former mayor to defer part of his salary."
. . .
Tedesco and Segina asked Dice to write a letter to all members of council making a final legal ruling on whether the $40,962 should be disbursed.
Councilwoman Fawn Walker said that although she thinks Brewster was entitled to back compensation, she agreed that Dice should draft a formal legal opinion before the money is paid out.
Segina, Tedesco and Walker voted against acting on the resolution to release the back pay. One seat on council remains vacant due to the death of Councilman Richard Dellapenna.
The deadlock left Council President Michael Cherepko sounding frustrated. "This was already passed in the (2011) budget," he said. "Enough is enough. We need to get through this and make a fresh start, and start focusing on moving this city ahead."
. . .
In Other Business: Council voted 6-0 to appoint Dice as the city's new solicitor at a retainer of $1,500 per month, plus $75 per hour.
By 5-1 vote, with Tedesco dissenting, council approved paying former City Solicitor J. Jason Elash $6,666 for his service as "special counsel" during January and February.
By 6-0 vote, council named Richard J. Dellapenna to the seat formerly held by his father. The appointment is effective July 1.
Dellapenna, an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher, is a Democratic candidate for council and placed third in a field of six candidates seeking one of four nominations. He received 1,645 votes in the May primary, according to complete but unofficial results from the Allegheny County Division of Elections.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
Council could act tonight on a replacement for the late Councilman Richard Dellapenna and finally fill the city's vacant solicitor position.
Council President Michael Cherepko said Tuesday night that council is considering possible candidates to complete the remainder of Dellapenna's term.
Dellapenna, 68, who intended to retire from council at the end of this year, died May 25 at UPMC McKeesport hospital. A three-term councilman, Dellapenna was a former city firefighter and retired chief of the McKeesport Fire Department.
Under the city's Home Rule Charter, council has 45 days to fill the vacant seat. Members of council must be residents and registered voters in the city.
In last month's primary, Dellapenna's son, Richard J. Dellapenna, received one of four Democratic nominations to city council. Cherepko said Dellapenna's son is among the candidates that will be considered for his father's seat.
. . .
Also tonight, council may finally replace former City Solicitor J. Jason Elash. During a closed personnel session on Tuesday night, Plum-based attorney Bruce Dice met with Mayor Regis McLaughlin and city council.
Afterward, Dice declined to comment on the purpose of the meeting. Dice's firm represents several eastern Allegheny County municipalities, including Monroeville, Plum Borough and Penn Hills.
In one of his first acts after being sworn into office in December, the mayor announced that he would not reappoint Elash, who had served as the city's solicitor for seven years. A four-member council majority, including Cherepko, could not then come to an agreement with McLaughlin on Elash's replacement.
Cherepko confirmed Tuesday that council and McLaughlin have together met with a candidate for the vacant position.
"The mayor has recommended a possible solicitor, and we as council had an opportunity to discuss his recommendation," Cherepko said. "The mayor selects a solicitor, but council wanted the opportunity to interview that individual before making an appointment."
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
A fight appears to be brewing between city council and Controller Ray Malinchak over his decision to hire a private investigator to probe the city's garbage collection.
At last night's workshop meeting, Council President Michael Cherepko and other councilors said Malinchak had overstepped his authority and would have to pay for the investigation himself.
"No one told him to do that," Councilwoman V. Fawn Walker said. "If he chooses to do that, he can spend his own money ... We're not going to pay for it."
Malinchak has asked to be reimbursed $5,000. "I can assure you that under my watch, that's not going to happen," Cherepko said Tuesday.
In April, council voted to investigate why the amount of garbage being collected in the city has increased about 20 percent since the hauling contract was switched from Allied Waste Services to Clairton-based Nickolich Sanitation.
Last month, Mayor Regis McLaughlin suggested that council hire Corporate Security & Investigations of Monaca, Beaver County, at a cost of $5,000, but Cherepko declined to put the proposal on council's agenda. Instead, Cherepko said he would solicit bids from several different firms.
In response, Malinchak put out a press release accusing Cherepko and other council members of dragging their feet, and announced that he would hire CSI himself, citing his authority under the city's Home Rule Charter.
But Cherepko and several of his council colleagues disagree with Malinchak's interpretation of the controller's duties as outlined in the charter.
"This investigation was supposed to be done by (council), not the controller," Councilman Dale McCall said.
Seven firms have been asked to bid on the investigation, but none had yet responded, Cherepko said last night.
At May's council meeting, Nickolich Sanitation owner Nick Nickolich said that the amount of trash collected has gone up mainly because his crews are picking up trash that previous haulers left behind. Nickolich invited city officials to follow his trucks and audit his tonnage slips.
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