Donora council approved two hirings at Thursday’s meeting, a month after a mass walkout left many administrative positions vacant.

Chris Cunningham was hired as the borough’s new administrator, and Lewis Morrison Jr. was brought on as bookkeeper.

Council unanimously passed a motion to bring back former administrative staff member Marsha Lawson to help train the new bookkeeper. Lawson will be paid per diem and will work in a part-time capacity.

Following the vote, Councilwoman Jane Ackerman moved to also bring back former borough administrator Terri Petroske to assist Cunningham in his new role. The public agenda did not include the motion to re-enroll Petroske, and other council members immediately objected to the proposal.

“It had already been discussed,” Ackerman said, defending the motion.

“By who?” Councilwoman Cindy Brice replied. “I think this creates a liability for us.”

Following the walkout, some council members suggested that potential legal considerations or actions between Petroske and borough officials ensued, and Councilman Joe Greco said Petroske may have claimed harassment while working for the borough.

Before the motion to bring Petroske back was called to a vote, it appeared council

DONORA • A2 FROM A1 would split 4-2 on the issue and ultimately hire the former administrator as a temporary trainer. Brice and Councilman Tom Thompson were the only clear dissenters.

Solicitor Steve Toprani recommended council take an executive session to discuss the matter before voting. Council returned after a brief meeting and withdrew the motion without comment.

“Since 2001, I’ve seen borough administrators come and go. But I’ve never seen them bring back a previous administrator,” Mayor Don Pavelko said. “I don’t know what it would cause, but I know I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Brice was the only council member to talk about the turn of events.

“Everyone changed their minds because they realized it was the wrong decision,” she said.

The establishment of a new civil service commission created more debate among council members. The vote to enact the ordinance passed 4-2 with Brice and Thompson opposing. The dissent claimed a clause in the ordinance transferred council’s power to hire and fire police officers to the new commission.

“The civil service commission can’t hire and fire police. That’s the council’s authority,” Thompson said.

According to the solicitor, the language of the ordinance does not give away council’s power to the civil service commission. He explained that while the ordinance does not explicitly protect council’s authority over employment in the police department, it preserves it de facto. Brice and Thompson disagreed and claimed that even if what the solicitor said was true, the language remains misleading. The debate sparked insults between council members.

“That’s not what it says,” Brice said. “Why would council willingly give up its power in the police department?”

“You don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Greco said.

“This is a crock. And you’re an idiot, Mr. Greco,” Brice said.

With the ordinance enacted, three members and one alternate have been appointed to the new commission. Greco, Brian Pivovarnik and Kim Leaver will be full members, and Edward Locker, who was sworn in at the meeting, will act as an alternate.

According to the ordinance, read by the solicitor, Locker will take part in all commission meetings, but will not vote on decisions while acting as alternate.

Council originally nominated Councilman Gib Szakal to act as a full member of the commission. But with Greco also on the commission, Szakal stepped down to comply with regulations that prohibit more than one council member from occupying a civil service position.

Greco publicly acknowledged Locker following the swearing-in ceremony and expressed gratitude toward his new colleague.

“Thank you for showing the initiative and willingness to serve,” Greco said.

In his report, Mayor Pavelko spoke about a company purchasing the Donora roller rink. A letter the company wrote to the borough discussed plans to expand the rink and said groups of six could skate for $15.

“We’re excited to be a centerpiece of Donora, Pa.” Pavelko read.

The mayor said he recently met with the Mon Valley Progress Council about available grant opportunities for the borough. He said the organization told him it was happy to help with the process. Pavelko said the deadline for many grant applications ends Aug. 31.

Looking at neighboring areas, Pavelko expressed a desire to enact legislation similar to Monessen’s recently passed Quality of Life ordinance. The ordinance gives police officers more leniency operating in and around private property in an attempt to curb disruptive behavior in the community. Council members and citizens appeared to favor a similar measure in Donora.

Brice told community members that the waterfall in Palmer Park is up and running again. Residents cheered at the news.

“They just got it working today. It looks great,” Brice said.

During public comments, young Donora resident Mon-tell Carlock spoke about communication issues in the borough and about building community.

“If we can’t communicate, we can’t move forward. If we can’t sit down at the table together, we can’t move forward,” Carlock said.

“When people see the sign that says ‘City of Champions,’ do we live up to that? Let’s work together. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I want to act. No one lives in this community alone.”