MONESSEN, Pa. — It was a mess in Monessen as the city’s mayor and two council members were served with a lawsuit just minutes before Wednesday’s public meeting – and that isn’t the only issue.
Mayor Matt Shorraw hadn’t attended a council meeting for 18 months, but earlier this month he returned and removed several people from office. Several residents told Channel 11 they feel those decisions were made without following the proper procedure and with little to no outside input.
In his absence, two council members -- the city administrator and solicitor -- did their part to help run the city. When Shorraw showed up, he fired city clerk Judith Taylor and solicitor Joseph Dalfonso, and his only reasoning was that they were moving “in a new direction.”
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Shorraw and two others confirmed Tim Witt as the new solicitor and John Harhai as the new city administrator. All of these decisions were called into question during Wednesday’s meeting.
At one point, there were accusations that Harhai let someone use a city computer to help him with city matters, creating the potential for unauthorized access to employee information and breaking privacy laws.
Community members were also there to demand answers about a police officer who posted controversial things on social media after the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and eight others. Many people felt the comments were inappropriate and inconsiderate, but no action was taken.
The meeting lasted about three hours as the public voiced their concerns. Many questions were left unanswered, but Shorraw said he is going to be working with council to make sure they are more transparent about decisions moving forward.
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