(News)

What The Daily News has dubbed the city's "solicitor drama" has now been held over for a third straight month.

City council on Wednesday was poised to appoint Gary Matta of Dodaro, Matta and Cambest as McKeesport's attorney of record, but Matta withdrew his name from consideration before last night's scheduled vote.

Matta is the second attorney to remove his name from nomination. In February, Mayor Regis McLaughlin nominated Bert Moldovan, a McKeesport attorney who would have served the city in conjunction with a Pittsburgh law firm headed by former Allegheny County Solicitor Ira Weiss.

But after McLaughlin and several members of council clashed at the February meeting, Moldovan's nomination was taken off of council's agenda. Now Moldovan and Weiss "are no longer interested," McLaughlin told the Almanac on Tuesday.

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Dodaro's firm would have been considerably cheaper than either Weiss' firm or former City Solicitor J. Jason Elash, the mayor said. While Elash was a full-time city employee with a salary of $120,000, Dodaro, Matta and Cambest would have been independent contractors with a monthly retainer of $1,500, plus an hourly rate of $100.

"I'm trying to save the city some money," McLaughlin said. "It's a big savings."

McLaughlin in December told Elash he would not be reappointed as the city's solicitor. The move came as candidates prepared for a heated Democratic mayoral primary which has pitted McLaughlin, the city's interim mayor, against three current councilmen --- Cherepko and Councilors Darryl Segina and A.J. Tedesco Jr. --- along with City Controller Ray Malinchak.

Former McKeesport Area school director Lori Spando is also an announced candidate for the Democratic nomination.

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Although McLaughlin has not given any public reason for his decision to replace Elash, Elash's past political support of Cherepko is rumored to be a factor.

Elash has continued to provide legal advice as requested on a pro bono basis and has attended all of the recent council meetings. But Matta's withdrawal means that for the third straight month, the city is without formal legal representation.

"My impression was that (Matta) didn't want to get involved in everything that's been going on," Cherepko said. "He didn't want to be considered at all unless it was a 7-0 consensus" vote of city council.

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Also on Wednesday's agenda was a resolution to appoint Elash as "special counsel" to city council at a flat fee of $3,333 per month. Council by unanimous vote pulled that item from consideration.

Cherepko asked McLaughlin to meet with him "at any time" to discuss an "amicable solution," but said he didn't want to publicly rehash the dispute. "There's no reason for us to air our dirty laundry again," Cherepko said.