PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh’s Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, the agency that oversees the city’s finances, declined to renew the month-to-month contract of its executive director Friday.
Henry Sciortino’s current contract will officially end on May 31. Sciortino did not attend Friday’s special board meeting that decided his fate at the agency.
Sciortino, who has health issues, has headed the ICA since its start in 2004, but recently serious questions have been raised about financial records and bookkeeping at the agency, landing Sciortino in the hot seat.
Target 11’s Rick Earle reported that a number of contract and other financial documents are apparently nowhere to be found, and the Allegheny County district attorney has launched an investigation.
At Friday’s special meeting held last in the afternoon, the ICA would not talk about the decision to fire Sciortino, but the new chair promised changes.
“I pledge that from here on out, the ICA will be a transparent operation and all decisions and procedures will be based on good government principles,” ICA Chair BJ Leber said.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto released the following statement after learning about Sciortino’s termination:
“This is a new day for Pittsburgh. We welcome an oversight board who has expressed willingness to work for the benefit of the city, not against it. We look forward to collaborating with the ICA and our leaders in Harrisburg toward the long term financial stability of Pittsburgh.”
The Peduto administration has had a contentious relationship with the ICA, accusing the agency of illegally holding casino money from the city. The ICA eventually released some of the gaming funds.