Borough ousts manager as secretary/treasurer, appoints out-of-town resident to zoning board
Appointment of code officer to zoning hearing board an apparent violation of state law
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL FILE - Tony Sajone shortly after he was hired as borough supervisor/manager in 2020.
SHENANDOAH – At Thursday’s reorganization meeting, Shenandoah Borough Council ousted its borough manager as secretary/treasurer and voted to appoint a Frackville resident to the zoning hearing board.
Council retained most positions from last year, including Joe Boris as president, Mike “Zeckie” Uholik as vice president, Joe Gawrylik as President Pro Tempore, Sam Deegan as auditor, Shane Hobbs as solicitor, Jim Flail as code enforcement officer, and Alfred Benesch and Co. as engineer.
Following an executive session, council voted down a motion to re-appoint Tony Sajone as secretary/treasurer by a 4-3 vote. Councilwoman Katie Catizone nominated Sajone.
Council members Mike “Zeckie” Uholik, Diane Korenda, Joe Boris, and Joe Gawrylik all voted “solid no,” while Katie Catizone, Michael Whitecavage, and James Burke voted yes.
Sajone was absent for the meeting.
Uholik nominated Mike Cadau for the post, with Boris, Korenda, and Gawrylik voting yes, and Catizone, Whitecavage, and Burke voting no.
Sajone was hired in 2020 as borough supervisor/manager and was also appointed secretary/treasurer. Council took no action on his employment at the meeting. He received $70,000 a year as of January 2023.
In other business, council voted in apparent violation of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code to appoint a non-Shenandoah resident to the Zoning Hearing Board.
Current zoning board member Jack Rooney was nominated by Whitecavage to retain his seat, while Korenda nominated code enforcement officer Flail.
Catizone asked Flail if he was a resident of the borough.
“No,” Flail said. He lives in Frackville.
Catizone then asked Hobbs if he could serve on the board if he didn’t live in the borough. Boris said he believed he could.
Hobbs said he did not know if there was a particular rule.
The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, which governs zoning in Pennsylvania, including the formation and operation of zoning hearing boards, specifically states the board must “consist of either three or five residents of the municipality appointed by resolution by the governing body.” It also specifically forbids employees of the municipality from serving on the board.
Council voted 4-3 to approve Flail. Uholik, Gawrylik, Korenda, and Boris voted for Flail while Burke, Catizone, and Whitecavage voted for Rooney.
Hobbs then suggested the borough vote to approve Flail’s non-borough residency “in the event that” a borough ordinance or code precludes him from serving because of that.
Council voted 6-1 to approve that motion, with Catizone as the lone dissenting vote.
Council also split on a nomination for Shenandoah Sewer Authority. Chairman Chuck Lawson was nominated by Whitecavage to retain his seat, while Uholik nominated Mary Catherine Berresford to the seat.
Voting for Berresford were Uholik, Korenda, and Boris, while Catizone and Whitecavage voted for Lawson. Burke and Gawrylik abstained.
Council also voted to retain the current borough council committees and subcommittees.
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