Court rules on one of 3 Monessen Sunshine Law cases
A Westmoreland County judge fined the Monessen mayor and two councilmen $500 apiece in a ruling over alleged violations of the Open Meetings Law at a contentious reorganization meeting earlier this year.
Louis Mavrakis acted as his own attorney in the matter heard by Judge Chris Scherer, who ruled July 31, according to the Westmoreland County Court docket.
Mavrakis claimed current Mayor Matt Shorraw and Councilmen Gil Coles and Donald Gregor failed to provide a proper agenda and shut down public comment on the terminations of Solicitor Joe Dalfonso and city administrator Judith Taylor at the Jan. 6 reorganizational meeting.
Timothy Witt of Connellsville became Monessen solicitor, and John Harhai returned to the administrative post he had previously held.
An attorney for the defendants did not file responses to allegations made by Mavrakis, the former mayor, who said he plans to attend a Monessen City Council meeting tonight at 7 p.m.
“I’ve got to get a clarification,” Mavrakis said Monday. “I may get some legal advice myself.” He called the terminations “null and void.”
The Open Meetings Act is commonly referred to as “the Sunshine Law.”
Contacted via Twitter, Mayor Matt Shorraw responded with this statement, “The affected individuals are evaluating their options.
“In the interim, the city re-emphasizes that the action taken at the subsequent meetings on Jan. 29 and March 10 was not challenged in this case and continues to remain valid.
“These steps were taken in order to protect the city from protracted litigation and to provide more certainty in city government. The city administrator and city solicitor continue to remain in their respective positions as ratified and confirmed at those and subsequent meetings.”
The statement was also posted on Monessen’s Facebook page, where Councilman Anthony Orzechowski disavowed its label as the “City of Monessen response.”
“The mayor does not speak for all of council….” read a post, in part, from Orzechowski. “Until (Scherer’s) ruling is overturned, that is the ruling.”
Two other suits on the handling of the Jan. 6 reorganizational meeting are pending in Westmoreland County Court.