Council: Mayor Clyde should pay for damage to door
June 9, 2009
ECO Staff – Laure Cioffi, senior journalist
ELLWOOD CITY – Borough council members say they aren’t happy that Mayor Don Clyde has apparently blocked access to his office from the Ellwood City Police Department.
“No one is to take it upon themselves to deface property in this borough building,” said Councilman John Todorich during Monday’s council caucus meeting.
Clyde, who has been a polarizing figure in his four years as mayor, apparently drilled holes in the doorframe and placed screws in the door to prevent it from being opened.
Acting Police Chief Dave Kingston said it happened last Wednesday or Thursday.
Kingston said the light in the mayor’s office has been on since the doorway was blocked. Kingston said the mayor does have access to his office through a second door, which goes into another hallway.
Council members and Kingston did not give a reason why Clyde blocked the door.
Clyde was not present at Monday’s council meeting and could not be reached for comment after the meeting.
Councilman Ralph Chiappetta said the mayor should be charged for any repairs that need to be made to the door.
Council members questioned whether anything was removed from the office and Kingston said he believed there were items removed.
Clyde has previously been at odds with the police department and council.
Police Chief of Operations Richard McDonald left the borough last year after filing a claim with the U.S. Equal Opportunities Commission claiming that Clyde had created a hostile work environment in the police department. The borough gave McDonald in excess of $100,000 as part of the legal settlement.
In other business, council members are considering extending the contract with their electricity supplier AMP-Ohio. The current contract ends in 2012, but the electricity supplier has offered to extend the borough’s contract through 2017.
Norm Baron of Utility Engineers, the borough electric consultant, recommended council extend the contract.
“The prices are really, really great. We advise you to consider locking into these rates,” he said.
Baron said the borough is now paying about $60 per megawatt hour and the contract would lock the price in the mid-$70 range at the end of the contract.
“Chance are the rates aren’t going to drop that low in the next nine years. We have not seen rates this low in the last four or five years,” Baron said.
Council will consider the proposal at their next regular meeting, which has been rescheduled to 6 p.m. June 17.
Council also expects to award bids for street paving. The bids will be open on Tuesday.
Streets scheduled for paving are: Perry Street east to Summit; Ninth Street from Lawrence to Beaver avenues; Nine Street from Lawrence Avenue to Crescent Street; Wayne Avenue from Fifth to Sixth streets; Third Street from the circle to the railroad tracks; Fillmore Way, from North to Bridge streets; First Street from Gregg to McKinley; Carmen Beatrice Boulevard (Joffre Street) from Jefferson to Line; Wood Street, from Washington Adams. Optional streets that may be paved if funding is available are Sixth Street from Factory to Beaver avenues and Washington Avenue from Joffre to Petain streets.
(Laure Cioffi can be reached at LaureCioffi@EllwoodCity.org)
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