Fox Chapel Council president celebrates 25 years as public servant

Fox Chapel officials celebrated the service of a longtime borough leader.

Andrew Bennett received a proclamation and plaque from Mayor Alex Scott III for his 25 years of service on council.

“It is important that we recognize the service that we’ve gotten from him,” Scott said while delivering remarks at the Oct. 21 meeting. “We appreciate all that he has done for us.”

Bennett, 64, was appointed to council in 1999. He took over for Susan Altman who resigned from her elected post that year.

The former planning commissioner won reelection several times and has served the past 12 years as council president.

Bennett first became council president after Councilman Nate Parker retired. It was the same year Scott became mayor, taking over for Harry McLaughlin.

Council also unanimously voted to adopt a resolution in celebration of Bennett’s service.

The public servant was pleasantly surprised by the honor.

“It’s nice that my peers were aware that it’s been 25 years,” Bennett said. “I lost track. It’s giving back to the community, and they all do the same. It’s nice to see the younger people stepping in. I’m now one of the old farts. I was a younger one back then. It really is nice to see the people stepping in an assuming that next generation of community involvement.”

Bennett said the three top responsibilities of a municipality are fire and police protection as well as infrastructure.

“Those are the (legs of the) stool that we stand on,” Bennett said.

He credits his family as the inspiration to keep serving.

“If you live in this community and are asked to give back, unless you have a reason to say, ‘No,’ you do it,” Bennett said.

He further joked about staying fit for office.

“My hips and knees still work,” Bennett said.

Scott, 77, a longtime friend of Bennett, credits borough administration for bringing Bennett’s years of service to his attention.

“Anybody dedicated to service for so long should be recognized,” the mayor said. “I give credit to the borough staff (for the plaque). They just asked me to present it because they knew we were friends.”

Scott served on council for 12 years before becoming mayor.

“I can’t last as long as Andy in one job,” Scott joked. “This is a great place to be a volunteer.”

Before and outside of council

Bennett grew up in the Fox Chapel area and graduated from Shady Side Academy in 1978.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in math from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt.

Bennett worked in sales for two years before earning a master’s of science and industrial administration from Carnegie Mellon University.

He worked for JP Morgan in New York for a while before moving back to Allegheny County and joining the family business.

Bennett Supply Co. is a wholesale distributor of specialty building materials. It is headquartered in Cheswick and has locations in Ohio and New York.

Bennett serves as its president. His brother, Dave, an O’Hara resident, retired two years ago from the business after working there for 32 years.