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Hearing held on Jefferson’s council reduction petition

5 min read

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JEFFERSON – Greene County Court heard testimony Tuesday for and against Jefferson Borough’s petition to reduce the number of members on council from five to three.

The hearing was held by Judge Farley Toothman in the Jefferson American Legion Hall, where council regularly meets, and was attended by four members of council and 10 residents of the borough and Jefferson Township.

Of the eleven people who testified, including council members and residents, six spoke against reducing council’s size, claiming interest exists in the community to fill any council vacancies and the reduction would give too few control of borough affairs.

Toothman made no decision on the petition, saying he would review the testimony before issuing an order.

Council filed the petition with the court Nov. 22. It was signed by 33 borough residents, which as required by law, represents at least five percent of the borough’s 194 registered voters.

Council made the decision because of a lack of interest, council President Theresa Knight said. Knight testified Tuesday that though council had three positions open in last year’s election, only one candidate, incumbent Lance Sahady, filed petitions to appear on the ballot to seek re-election.

This would have left council with two vacant seats, she said. She noted, however, two other residents did receive write-in votes in the general election.

One, Steven Dulik, received one write-in vote and has agreed to accept the council seat. The other, Charlie Barno, received two write-in votes. A father and son named Charlie Barno, are registered to vote in the borough, however, and neither petitioned the court seeking the seat.

In response to a question regarding whether council has had problems obtaining a quorum at its meetings, Knight said once in the past year, in August, council was unable to meet because of a lack of a quorum.

She also said council has had to appoint members to fill vacancies in the past and has been able to find people to serve. Now, however, “people whom I have spoken to don’t want to serve and we’re kind of at a loss.”

Knight also noted that townships are governed by three supervisors, and they are able to function well.

Her husband, Melvin Knight, who is also a councilman and whose term expires this week, also spoke in favor of the reduction, citing a “lack of enthusiasm” among residents in being involved in borough affairs.

Two current members of council spoke against the reduction.

Sahady, who was the only member of council to vote against petitioning the court for the reduction, said he didn’t believe it would be good that two of the three members of a three-member council could make all the decisions.

“I don’t think two people should control everything,” he said. Though only two council members now usually do much of the work, others are there as a check to say, “Wait a minute, that’s not right,” he said.

He also said he believed people can be found in the community who would be willing to serve on council outside of those who are asked when a vacancy appears.

Councilwoman Sandra Dulik said she had voted in favor of petitioning the court for the reduction but after talking to people in the community and in other communities has changed her mind and is no longer in favor of it.

She said her change of heart had nothing to do with her husband, Steven Dulik, being elected by a write-in vote in the general election. Dulik also said she believes no one ran in the election because they did not know there were positions open.

Steven Dulik, who also testified against the reduction, said he has always been interested in serving the community and was on the Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Authority for five years and in that time only missed one meeting.

“I want what is best for the borough and that’s how I’ll make my decisions,” he said.

Dulik said he didn’t run in the primary because he is registered as an independent. Borough solicitor Dennis Makel said a person registered independent can run in a primary, but most people are unaware of the process they must follow to do that.

Resident Jeff Coneybeer also spoke against the reduction, saying he agreed with Sahady but he also didn’t believe people knew about the openings on council or they would have run for the seats.

Coneybeer also pointed out borough council is important because it appoints members to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Authority and Lower Ten Mile Joint Sewer Authority, which have large operations.

Tim Faddis, who resides in Jefferson Township but has property in the borough and who is chairman of the board of Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Authority, testified he had no opinion one way or the other about the reduction but believed the appointment or election of council members should be fair.

Council should take names of those interested in serving and make appointments or wait until the next election, he said. Some people might have wanted to run for council last year but didn’t after hearing council planned to reduce its numbers, he said.

Resident Cynthia Chapman said she was one of those people who was planning to run for a council seat last year but then heard council was going to reduce its numbers and decided against it.

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