Monessen Council to attempt meeting
MONESSEN – Monessen Council will make another attempt Thursday to meet and pay bills, while assuming the city’s mayor will again fail to show up, leaving council short of a quorum needed to conduct business.
Councilman Anthony Orzechowski said he doesn’t expect Mayor Matt Shorraw will show up at the regularly scheduled workshop meeting, meaning the city will fall further behind in paying bills.
“No, I don’t think he’s going to come,” Orzechowski said Tuesday.
Shorraw, 27, was elected in November to his first term in office, and he was met with roaring applause from a large crowd that attended his first meeting in January. He was quickly met with rejection from council, which failed to appoint his nominee to fill a vacant seat on the board. The board also was deadlocked that night on efforts to replace the solicitor.
In early May, council issued a vote of no confidence in the mayor, asking in a proclamation that Gov. Tom Wolf begin the process to impeach Shorraw, Orzechowski said.
He further complained that photos posted on Shorraw’s Facebook account show him performing official duties such as presiding over a marriage.
“The man does not do the job that comes with being elected,” Orzechowski said.
He also said Shorraw is costing the city thousands of dollars, beginning with the hiring of an engineer after Shorraw complained about the condition of City Hall to the state Department of Labor and Industry.
The state found there were not any issues with the building, Orzechowski said.
“There are people who can’t get paid,” he said.
Council has been left without a quorum for the past two meetings due to the illness and subsequent death last month of Ron Chiaravalle and another councilman’s decision to skip meetings. Shorraw has missed the last two council meetings.
Shorraw provided a statement Tuesday that he addressed to Monessen residents a day earlier in which he stated he was reluctant to attend council meetings until after Chiaravalle’s replacement is made by Westmoreland County Court in about a month.
He said he believes the other two councilmembers want to replace Chiaravalle with former mayor Lou Mavrakis or someone else.
“I am facing strong opposition, but as your sworn and dedicated mayor, I remain optimistic that Monessen can and will move forward on its path of success,” Shorraw stated.