Monessen mayor, lawmakers respond to proposed attendance policy legislation
The mayor of Monessen has sent a letter to two local state representatives as a response to proposed constitutional amendments for absentee public servants.
State Rep. Justin Walsh, R-Rostraver Township, proposed legislation that establishes an attendance policy for members of elected municipal governing boards.
According to the legislation, an elected member of municipal government must attend more than 50% of scheduled meetings in a calendar year.
If a members misses over half of the meetings, the remaining members of a board can pass an ordinance instructing their solicitor file an action asking a judge to remove the absentee board member.
In Monessen, Mayor Matthew Shorraw and Councilman Gilbert Coles have been absent from meetings 鈥� Shorraw since May 2018 and Coles has appeared at one meeting since February 2018.
In his response to the legislation addressed to Walsh and co-sponsor state Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Perryopolis, Shorraw said both he and Coles refuse to be connected to what they feel is corruption.
鈥淯ntil a time comes where increased investigations and accountability are had, and more truthful answers are provided, we will continue to inform the citizens of Monessen of our concerns, and will continue to seek legal remedies for the harming of taxpayers due to this corrupt and unethical behavior,鈥� wrote Shorraw.
鈥淲hile the mayor believes he has concerns, in my opinion, simply standing on the sidelines and doing nothing is not an option,鈥� Walsh said. 鈥淐ity of Monessen government has almost come to a grinding halt because for over a year, he and Councilman Coles have been no-shows at work.鈥�
鈥淚f corruption exists in Monessen as the mayor states, how does hiding from city hall for over a year fix that problem?鈥� Warner asked, adding that Shorraw has the responsibility to fight corruption head on, not hide from it. 鈥淧erhaps he thinks this is a cute little game, but his 鈥榩rotest鈥� has left the city at an impasse and at times unable to pay bills or uphold finical obligations.鈥�
In his response, Shorraw said neither Walsh nor Warner contacted him or Coles to learn more about the situation. Shorraw said he would testify under oath before the General Assembly about alleged corruption and unethical behavior, bringing forward documentation and witnesses.
Walsh said he tried to reach out to Shorraw through email at the request of the state Department of Community and Economic Development regarding the city蘑菇视频 status in the Early Intervention Program. The email address provided to Walsh was no longer valid, he said.
鈥淚n addition, I recently learned (Shorraw) was in Harrisburg within the past month for a press conference while the House was in session,鈥� Walsh added. 鈥淚nstead of coming inside the building and meeting with me face-to-face, he remains absent and does not respond to inquiries.鈥�
Shorraw said his and Coles鈥� absences are driven by the morals they share and the standard for calling out corruption that hurts the community.
However, Walsh said, should his legislation pass in two consecutive legislative sessions, he believes the majority of the voters would agree with him that their absences cast a pall over all the hardworking public servants who toil daily to make their communities better places to work and raise a family.
鈥淗e is supposed to be the leader of a city and instead is acting like a child,鈥� Warner said, calling on Shorraw to resign. 鈥淚n what reality do you get to skip work for over a year and still keep your job?鈥�