Penn Hills council meeting canceled due to lack of quorum
Penn Hills Deputy Mayor and candidate in the Democratic mayoral primary Frank Pecora said “political obligations” prevented him from attending the May 15 council meeting, which was canceled due to a lack of a quorum.
Pecora said he got a “late start” placing his campaign signs by the polls in anticipation of the following day’s election and didn’t finish in time to make the meeting.
“I would say I’m a one man army,” Pecora said, adding that he’s posted signs and canvassed voters without help from others.
Pecora said he asked Mayor Pauline Calabrese, who also sought the Democratic nod on May 16, to consider moving the meeting to the following week, a claim that Calabrese denied.
“Frank Pecora never called me or the manager to ask for a rescheduling,” Calabrese said. “We had no idea that he wasn’t coming. We did get a call from Councilwoman Sapp saying she was away at a conference and we did get a call from Councilman Brodnicki that he was ill.”
The municipality’s home rule charter requires at least three members of council to be present for a quorum. In this case, only Calabrese and Councilwoman Joanne Fascio were in attendance.
The agenda included resolutions to award around $305,000 in Community Development Block Grant-funded street reconstruction contracts, support a proposal to designate Allegheny River Boulevard as a scenic byway and approve two grant applications for sewer improvements.
Calabrese said she was particularly frustrated by council’s inability to approve a tentative contract with water pollution control workers represented by Utility Workers of America. The delay jeopardizes a part of the agreement that would give workers the upcoming Juneteenth holiday off, according to Calabrese.
“It’s the night before the election and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t do the people’s business,” Calabrese said.
The next meeting will be held on June 26 as scheduled. Council typically meets on the third Monday of each month, but plans to hold next month’s meeting a week later in observance of Juneteenth.
According to Calabrese, agenda items from missed meetings typically get tacked onto the following month’s agenda.
Jack Troy is a TribLive reporter covering the Freeport Area and Kiski Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on Penn Hills municipal affairs. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in January 2024 after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh. He can be reached at jtroy@triblive.com.
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