Shorraw withdraws RDA suit

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

Monessen Mayor Matt Shorraw has withdrawn the lawsuit he and other current and former city officials filed against two members of the city’s Redevelopment Authority, including Shorraw’s opponent in his bid for re-election in this year’s primary.

Redevelopment Authority Chairman Lou Mavrakis and Treasurer Ron Mozer, who also beat Shorraw for both the Democratic and Republican nominations in May, were served with the lawsuit about 10 days before that election.

The suit claimed the Redevelopment Authority didn’t advertise all its meetings, which is a violation of the Sunshine Act. But Shorraw didn’t file suit against the authority as an agency or file suit against all the authority’s members, only two of the five.

Shorraw represented himself in the case in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas and said he filed the suit in his capacity as a private citizen, not as mayor.

Joining Shorraw as plaintiffs in the lawsuit were councilmen Don Gregor and Gil Coles, former Mayor Mary Jo Smith, former councilman Dr. Martin Dudas, former Mayor and state Rep. Ted Harhai, Kathleen Harhai, Devona Carter, Paula Fink, Johna Panepinto, Donna Koltash, Keith Koltash, Claudese West, Mary Wisyanski and Linzi Troilo.

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