PENN HILLS, Pa. — Monday night’s emergency council meeting in Penn Hills was heated and at times, just nasty. Since last week, misinformation has been swirling around town about the appointment of a new police chief. Monday’s meeting was to quash those rumors and set the record straight.
On December 31, Penn Hills Police Chief Howard Burton is set to retire after 53 years. A lieutenant with 30 years of experience in Penn Hills was reportedly offered the chief’s position, but that was put on hold.
Councilman Frank Pecora and Penn Hills Democratic Committee Chairman Jerry Chiappinelli were among three people to file an injunction to stop the hiring process for a chief until after Election Day.
“I had no choice - I was so tired of giving money away,” Jerry Chiappinelli told Channel 11. “How are you going to pay two chiefs? You pay someone for doing nothing - it’s nothing personal about anyone,” he added.
Chiappinelli said it would cost taxpayers over $250,000 to buy Chief Burton out of his contract if the municipality brought on a new chief before December 31. Penn Hills Mayor Pauline Calabrese also claimed the same.
“Unless my math is wrong, $250,000 is a quarter of a million dollars,” Mayor Calabrese said as she listed off vacation, sick and holiday pay the chief of police would be due immediately in his separation agreement.
Members in the community said they just want to know the truth about this entire situation. They feel politics are being put above people.
“We put the trust in you to make the right decision for us and you’re arguing about our safety and a man that’s been here a half a century,” one neighbor said the council.
“It was disrespectful to our community,” another neighbor added. “This is too much drama. Our chief had two months to go. He should have been celebrated.”
Deputy Mayor, Catherine Sapp said it will cost the same amount to taxpayers if Chief Burton leaves today, tomorrow or December 31 because of accrued vacation and sick pay. Sapp claims the mayor wants her own candidate for chief of police, Dom Costa to be appointed instead. His name was thrown around quite a bit Monday night.
“They want their own chief of police, Dom Costa,” Ronald Sapp of the planning commission said. “He’s 70 years old.”
“I call it bad decision making, dishonorable and bad leadership,” Catherine Sapp added before a round of applause.
The mayor says she has never sat down with any of the police chief candidates.
The injunction filed in court prohibits any decisions about hiring a new chief of police to be halted until after election day, November 2.
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