MVI attorney: Lawsuit response suggests collusion

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

The defense provided for Mayor Matt Shorraw and the City of Monessen’s alleged violations of the Sunshine Act ignores council’s past practices and provides evidence of collusion outside of public meetings, according to the Mon Valley Independent’s attorneys.

In its reply to a response issued by Shorraw and the city to the MVI’s lawsuit, Jim Davis, who is representing the MVI, also explains that the city’s defense refers to facts without evidence and forgets the Sunshine Act is meant to protect the rights of the residents of Monessen.

The MVI alleges Shorraw and the city violated the Sunshine Act when a private agenda, which seemed to be available only to the mayor, was used during the Jan. 6 reorganization meeting and the public was not given a reasonable opportunity to comment on the actions taken.

Davis said the defendants make numerous reference throughout their brief to facts that are not in evidence regarding Shorraw’s concerns that led him to stay away from meetings for nearly two years. 

The newspaper’s reply states the court should not consider Shorraw’s concerns at that time and the defendants should not be “given a pass because Mayor Shorraw was ‘inexperienced’ when he held his position for over two years at the time of the violations of the Sunshine Act.”

The newspaper’s reply further asks the court to not consider alleged prior illegal actions by Monessen councils that were pointed out by Shorraw and the city’s attorneys in their response in an attempt to excuse their own conduct this year.

“Those prior actions should also not be considered as evidence or in mitigation,” the MVI reply states.

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