Judge denies council reduction request
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WAYNESBURG – Greene County Judge Farley Toothman Friday denied a petition by Jefferson Borough Council to reduce the number of council members from five to three.
The judge cited testimony from a hearing held by the court Dec. 31 in Jefferson American Legion, where most of those who spoke were against the reduction.
He also cited council’s importance in appointing members to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Authority, a body that serves a population much greater than the borough’s, and spoke of the frustrations resulting from the lack of interest in public service.
As of Wednesday, council was at five members. During its reorganization meeting that day, Steve Dulik, who won a seat on council with one write-in vote in the general election, was seated. Council also voted to appoint Charles Barno to the fifth seat, after he submitted a letter of interest to council.
Charles Barno had received two write-in votes in the general election; however, two Charles Barnos, father and son, are registered to vote in the borough and neither petitioned the court for the seat. The younger Barno was seated Wednesday.
Council had filed a petition with the court Nov. 22 asking the number of members be reduced to three, claiming there is a lack of interest from residents to serve on council.
Council President Theresa Knight testified at the hearing that though council had three positions open in last year’s election, and only one candidate, incumbent Lance Sahady, filed petitions to appear on the ballot to seek re-election.
That could have left council with two vacancies. Knight said she believed it would be difficult to find people interested in being appointed to the seats and a council of three could function well.
In his order, Toothman noted only Knight and her husband, Melvin Knight, whose term on council expired last month, spoke in favor of the reduction.
Sahady, Dulik and Dulik’s wife, Sandra Dulik, who is now on council, spoke against the reduction. Sahady said with a three-member council, two people 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 residents could be found who would be willing to serve outside of those who are asked when a vacancy appears.
Also speaking at the hearing against the reduction, according to the order, were the younger Barno; Bernhard Coneybeer, Jeff Coneybeer and Cynthia Chapman, who said she had planned to run for a seat last year but then heard of the proposed reduction.
Two others spoke but gave no opinion: Jefferson Township supervisor Mickey Dikun and Jefferson Township resident Tim Faddis, who is chairman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Authority Board.
Council “casts a wide net of influence” by its appointment to the Southwestern board, Toothman said, noting thousands of people receive water from the authority.
Council appoints three people to the authority board; the remaining four members are appointed by Jefferson Township.
“In this regard, we who are serviced water by SWPA are served well, or not, by the collective appointments of the Jefferson Borough Council, and as local appointments go, none are probably more significant,” Toothman wrote.
In his order, Toothman also spoke of the “frustrating issue” involving the lack of interest by residents in serving on council.
“Though good citizenship still carries with it various rights and privileges, for many, busy or not, any benefits are outweighed by the burdens of public service. This is regrettable for all of us,” he wrote.
He included with the order an article by President Theodore Roosevelt entitled “The Duties of American Citizenship.”