Jan 11, 2019 5 min read

MONESSEN – Council unanimously approved a resolution declaring Mayor Matt Shorraw and Councilman Gilbert Coles absent, and named Councilman Anthony Orzechowski acting mayor.

Councilman David Feehan, who read the resolution, said Shorraw and Coles left the city with a disorganized and incomplete governing body, resulting in a disservice to the voters and residents of Monessen.

“The remainder of council believes that Mayor Shorraw’s continued dissemination of misleading information and his continued absence represents a complete lack of candor and leadership,” said Feehan. “Councilman Coles’ absence (also) represents a complete lack of leadership. The remainder of council feels it is in the best interest of the city to declare Mayor Shorraw and Councilman Coles as absent, due to the abandonment of their elected offices.”

The resolution names Orzechowski, who serves as director of finance and deputy mayor, acting mayor until Shorraw resumes regular attendance at council meetings and participates in day-to-day city business. The council also distributed Coles’ duties as director of parks and public property to Feehan and Councilwoman Lois Thomas until Coles rejoins the council at its meetings.

“Mayor, your 8 minutes and 54 seconds of fame is over. The adults are now in charge,” Orzechowski said.

Shorraw, who has missed 22 consecutive meetings, and Coles, who has attended only one meeting since February 2018, were absent at the council’s work session.

Last week, Shorraw posted a video on his Facebook page that runs the “8 minutes and 54 seconds” length alluded to in Orzechowski’s speech, accusing council of intimidation tactics because he asked the state to investigate alleged fraud concerning the city’s police pension funds.

“I am not welcome in my office in city hall. When I go there, I am harassed by a certain council person and the alarm system code has been changed, blocking my access to a public building,” Shorraw said in the video.

In response to Shorraw’s remarks, Orzechowski said council has addressed the auditor general’s concerns about the police pension issues and blasted the mayor for failing to be a part of the city’s budget planning process.

“You also had zero involvement in the budget that the rest of the council wrestled with,” said Orzechowski, addressing Shorraw by way of the media covering the meeting. “I need not remind you that your refusal to attend council meetings in May, June, July and August put the city in the hole, losing four months of city business. By you not attending, and Mr. Coles, you continued to hurt everyone involved.”

Orzechowski added that the alarm system code was changed after Shorraw was discovered entering city hall last June on a Saturday morning with two unidentified individuals.

“All the mayor had to do (to enter) city hall (was) to get a code for the security system,” said Orzechowski. “I would also like to know how he is constantly harassed when he never has shown up to do any city business. Oh, and by the way, city hall is opened from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. every day of the week.”

John Golomb, one of several Monessen residents who addressed council during the public comment portion of the meeting, questioned why Shorraw is continuing to get a mayor’s stipend.

“Now, the situation is, he is not earning the $5,000 or so that the mayor gets,” said Golomb. “You are earning it, Anthony. None of you here have a backlog of paperwork like Coles and Shorraw. He cannot take that money for another three years, totaling $20,000 of unearned dollars of the taxpayers’ money. I don’t see any backlog of paperwork in front of you responsible human beings, because you love this town and you’re doing your job. This is intolerable nonsense. And it must cease.”

Solicitor Joe Dalfonso said the city plans to “look into” the mayor’s salary. Coles has never received a stipend because he never completed the proper paperwork.

Also during the meeting, Orzechowski delivered his “state of the city” address, highlighting some of Monessen’s most pressing challenges for 2019.

“Our infrastructure can no longer maintain its own cost of existence,” said Orzechowski. “The way things were done in the past will no longer work in our ever-changing world of today. We need to look outside the box for more creative ways to tackle today’s problems. We, as a city, no longer have the tax base to provide the same level of service that we have all become accustomed to. As difficult as it may be, change must happen, but without a plan or sense of direction, change will not be beneficial to the city or its citizens.”

Orzechowski proposed several strategies for fixing Monessen’s problems, including working with the Pennsylvania National Guard to help address blight in the city. He added that council has directed its solicitor to use any legal means available to pursue delinquent taxes, as well as investigate current tax assessments for larger businesses in the city. In addition, council will continue to find ways to attract new businesses to Monessen, he said.

“It is the hope that with some of the aforementioned items, collecting more delinquent garbage fees, the possibility of taxes from a new business coming into town and a lot of hard work from everyone, that the city can lower the tax increase to what it was in 2018,” said Orzechowski. “That is a goal we hope to come to fruition in 2021.”