MVI files Sunshine Act suit against Shorraw

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

The Mon Valley Independent and a city resident have jointly filed a third lawsuit claiming Mayor Matt Shorraw violated the Sunshine Act during his first meeting back after a long absence.

“As journalists, we believe government should be open and transparent,” said Stacy Wolford, managing editor. “We are standing up as a community newspaper for the public’s right to know and to ensure that the Sunshine Act is upheld.”

Uniontown attorney James Davis filed the lawsuit Monday in Westmoreland County Court on behalf of the paper and city resident Tina O’Dell.

The suit names Shorraw individually and the City of Monessen as defendants. 

The other two suits previously filed against Shorraw named councilmen Gil Coles and Donald Gregor as co-defendants. 

Michael Aubele, an attorney at Davis and Davis, said that while Gregor and Coles aren’t named, it’s clear in the suit that the two men were the only seconds on motions and the only supporting votes that Shorraw got in response to the private agenda he brought to the Jan. 6 reorganization meeting.

To read the rest of this story, please see a copy of Tuesday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at https://e.monvalleyindependent.com.