Monongahela keeps solicitor; hires full-time police officer

By KRISTIE LINDEN
klinden@yourmvi.com
The City of Monongahela is keeping its solicitor but switching law firms.
City Solicitor Todd Pappasergi, who had been a lawyer with Bassi, Vreeland and Associates of Charleroi, has decided to move on to the Lynch Law Group in Canonsburg and council decided to stick with Pappasergi.
Councilwoman Claudia Williams said Pappasergi was putting council in a tough position because of the city’s history with the Bassi firm.
“The Bassi family and Bassi firm are great community supporters and it’s a tough decision,” Williams said.
Councilman Ken Kulak said the choice was made without negative thoughts about the Bassi firm and was just based on the experience with Pappasergi.
“I think it just really is that we’re really happy with your performance with us and it’s not a negative reflection on the firm,” Kulak said.
Pappasergi said he appreciated council’s vote of confidence.
“My decision to move on … was not an easy one either,” Pappasergi said. “I’m excited to stay with the city. We have a really good team. We have a really good thing going on here in the city and I’m happy to be a part of that moving forward.”
In other business, council also voted to hire a full-time police officer. Chase Taylor, who Chief Kevin Harris said has been working with the department for some time, was hired unanimously.
“We’re really happy to have him aboard,” Harris said.
Council voted to advertise for a Request For Qualifications for municipal engineering services.
“It’s time to look for what’s out there,” Kulak said, adding that the city isn’t advertising a Request For Proposals because “we will base this on qualifications, not on price.”
The city’s current engineering firm, Mackin Engineers, is free to submit its own RFQ, Pappasergi said.
About a dozen members of Monongahela’s Boy Scout Troop 1448 attended Wednesday’s meeting.
Leader John Glaneman said the boys were there as part of an eagle-required merit badge in which they had to attend a public meeting to learn and observe what they see and hear from a communication standpoint.
Tonight, the troop is meeting and the boys will be expected to explain what they learned.
“We brought more (Scouts) than we said we would,” Glaneman said, gesturing to the crowd packed full of Scouts. “Thank you for allowing us to invade.”
Kulak said it was a wonderful thing to see, especially because it created a standing-room-only effect with an overflow crowd that huddled around the doorway.

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