Shenandoah swears in new council members; Pietkiewicz reappointed president, Mychak vice president

By Kaylee Lindenmuth

SHENANDOAH – Shenandoah Borough Council held its re-organizational meeting Tuesday, where three new members and a re-elected member were sworn in and council officers were elected.

The meeting began with Mayor Andrew J. Szczyglak presiding, moving quickly into the swearing-in ceremony.

New members John Paul Dombrosky, Gordon Slater, Katie Catizone, and re-elected member Leo Pietkiewicz were sworn in by Szczyglak, immediately followed by the election of council president.

Nominations were opened, and Robert Mychak nominated Pietkiewicz for president, seconded by Rosanne Mychak, and was elected unopposed.

“I’d like to say thank you for your confidence in me in being your president,” Pietkiewicz said to council as he took over the gavel at the meeting from Szczyglak.

Nominations were then opened for Vice President, where Dombrosky was nominated by Gordon Slater, and Robert Mychak was nominated by Rosanne Mychak.

Voting for Dombrosky were Slater and Catizone. For Robert Mychak were John Thomas, Rosanne Mychak, and Pietkiewicz, thus electing Robert Mychak as council president.

Thomas was then nominated for Chairman Pro Tem, elected unopposed.

Also covered at the meeting were the appointments of borough solicitor, auditor, and engineer, as well as the establishment of council committees and subcommittees, and scheduling each meeting as the third Monday of each month.

Prior to the closing of the meeting, newly elected council members were afforded the opportunity to provide any remarks they had.

​”I appreciate the public’s support and confidence in myself and my two running mates,” said Slater. “I know we ran under the slogan ‘time for change,’ and we still stand by that, but we’re looking forward to working with the rest of borough council.”

“My personal opinion on the quality of people sitting in this room: I do not feel there will be any issues with this council getting along at all,” said Pietkiewicz. “I really appreciate that you stepped up to the plate and ran for the office.”

“The one bit of advice that I have for the new council is that, if you have questions, you don’t understand something, if you feel something’s not being done right, come up,” said Szczyglak. “Leo will listen to you, Joe (Palubinsky, borough consultant) will listen to you, the door is open. If you need to know something, they’ll tell you whatever you need to know.”

“The key is lines of communication,” added Thomas. “There’s no reason for anybody to come to a council meeting in the dark.”

“What you all have to realize is that it takes time to get things done,” concluded Robert Mychak.

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Kaylee Lindenmuth

Kaylee Lindenmuth is a Shenandoah native with a passion for journalism and the community she calls home.

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