Vandergrift’s reorganization redo gets contentious as residents vent frustration
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A Vandergrift Council meeting quickly became a shouting match Monday — complete with insults and banging fists — and left several residents frustrated with their elected officials.
Council held a special meeting to redo its reorganization meeting of Jan. 6, after it came to light that five members and the city’s mayor hadn’t signed paperwork required by state law.
At the Jan. 6 meeting, new members Karen McClarnon and John Uskuraitis pointed out that the rest of the council — including council President Kathy Chvala — were in violation of a state law requiring each member to sign an affidavit of residency confirming they live in Vandergrift. Monday’s meeting was a corrective measure to make sure all officials had signed the affidavit and could be resworn in.
But for McClarnon, Uskuraitis and several residents, the damage was already done. McClarnon, who was on vacation and attended the meeting by phone, and Uskuraitis said council showed a double standard, making them sign the affidavit without enforcing it for other council members.
Some residents were angry over a perceived lack of transparency in the governing body and questioned what other legal issues the group had overlooked in the past. Paul Levy, a Vandergrift resident, questioned the legality of the special meeting altogether. He told Chvala that she should step down as president.
Chvala apologized for not signing the statement.
Levy passed out a letter he said he sent to the Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, asking them to investigate council’s actions and possibly vacate the majority of the council seats.
The Attorney General’s Office has not responded to questions about the matter. The Auditor General’s Office said they responded to Levy’s letter, directing him to consult with the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services, housed within the Department of Community and Economic Development.
“It puts into question everything that this council does,” Levy said. “Everything that’s been done can be questioned if it’s not within the law.”
Solicitor Larry Loperfito responded, saying that the special meeting was an attempt to right the ship, and past acts of the council would not be voided or vitiated by a court.
“This is a curative meeting,” Loperfito said.
McClarnon demanded to know why Loperfito had not begun enforcing the affidavit rule when it was enacted six years ago. Loperfito said the issue was the result of an administrative oversight and that, as solicitor, he would have no way of addressing the problem if his office wasn’t specifically consulted on it.
“If you don’t bring it to your attorney’s attention, how would they know about it?” Loperfito said. “I’m not in-house counsel.”
The conversation quickly became contentious.
Council members shouted over each other, with McClarnon’s voice ringing the loudest over speakerphone.
Uskuraitis said Council Vice President Lenny Collini threatened him via email. Collini vehemently denied this claim while slamming his fists on the table.
Many residents in the audience were appalled by the display and voiced their frustration with council.
Resident Jody Sarno sent his young son out of the building to prevent him from witnessing the chaos. Sarno said the fighting was reflective of the tenor of American politics, but hoped council could regroup and still work together.
“We’re adults. Let’s fix it and work on a common goal,” he said.
Darla Held asked council members to be wary of their behavior toward one another and toward residents expressing concern during public comment. As a resident, she said it is disheartening to watch authority figures dismiss each other and their constituents.
“I don’t think that anyone should talk to anyone half of the way that this evening was ran,” Held said.
Chvala issued a statement apologizing for her misinterpretation of the state law and for swearing in last week without signing the affidavit.
“I’ve been on council 28 years and was looking at this wrong, thinking I was OK because everyone knows I’ve lived in Vandergrift my whole life,” Chvala said. “There was no reason for me to intentionally not do this.”
Councilman Tom Holmes also apologized for not having signed the paperwork but pleaded that the council resolve its differences and move on to other business.
“I found out there was a mistake, and I corrected it, and I apologize,” Holmes said. “We have serious business in this borough to take care of. Now, we can sit here all night and listen to people rant and rave, or we can move forward with what we need to do.”
After about 30 minutes of shouting and tension, Loperfito asked for a recess and fetched District Justice Jason Buczak of Washington Township. Buczak swore Mayor Barbara Turiak and the present council members into office.
The room was still seething as the council moved on to its regular reorganization meeting — performing the same formalities that took place last week. Chvala was made council president and Collini vice president, for the second time in 2020.
After the meeting, Collini said he never saw a meeting become as contentious as Monday.
Chvala said that’s why she made her statement. She wanted to move forward and get everyone on the same page. Chvala said it isn’t unusual for disagreement to stir when new members are elected to the body. She is hopeful, though, that the group will be able to move forward together.
“We have a lot to do, and we need to get back to it,” she said.
Loperfito also expressed relief at the meeting’s end.
“I am pleased with the outcome of the reorganization meeting tonight, and it is my sincere hope that the council members will work together from this moment forward,” he said.