Charleroi hires borough manager amid questioning

By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com

A borough manager has finally been selected in Charleroi, but not without questioning from candidates seeking council seats in November.
On Wednesday night, council unanimously voted to hire Joe Manning for the position, at a salary of $60,000, with a potential start date of June 15. Councilman Frank Paterra was absent.
The journey to find the right candidate for the job has been cumbersome. The position has been vacant since 2014. Council started discussing hiring a new borough manager to adhere to recommendations by a report through the Strategic Management Planning Program and an auditor.
Formerly known as the Early Intervention Program, the Strategic Management Planning Program helps communities develop comprehensive, multi-year financial plans and establish short- and long-term financial objectives.
Charleroi entered into the program in 2018. After completing it, council developed a comprehensive plan that includes the creation of a borough manager position.
For the past five months, council has sought interested applicants for the position.
Applications were sent to the Department of Community and Economic Development, which reviewed the applications before narrowing them down based on qualifications and sending the top candidates to the borough for review.
The borough reviewed the applications blind, not knowing the name, address or other personal information of each application, before conducting interviews.
Shortly after hiring Manning, who was not at the meeting, former councilman Larry Celaschi, who is seeking to return to council, addressed council with questions surrounding the decision.

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