Dormont Newsletter Delayed, Politics Cited

Dormont Mayor Tom Lloyd accused some council members of playing politics with the borough newsletter on Monday night, possibly hampering the Dormont Day committee’s fundraising efforts.

Lloyd included a letter in the newsletter in which he laid out his view of the borough’s finances. It’s in response to a “state of the borough” report included in the spring newsletter.

But Councilwoman Laurie Malka, chair of the legal and finance committee, said the mayor’s letter had “misinformation” and she had to respond.

“I’m going back and showing what the corrections are,” she said, adding she put in citations to show her information "rather than waiting another three months so that people wouldn't be able to see the corect answers, they can look and see and compare them."

The newsletter will only be about a week late, Malka said, adding the newsletter is often late for a variety of reasons, such as waiting for an organization to get its information in.

“One week late is not going to affect the Dormont Day committee,” Malka said. The committee puts together the annual July Fourth activities and fireworks.

Lloyd said it was unfortunate that “certain members of council allowed the newsletter to get off track”—an apparent reference to the state of the borough letter Malka wrote.

Lloyd said the newsletter’s purpose is to give council, the mayor and borough manager the opportunity to tell residents what’s going on in the borough, to say what program have been approved, what activities are going on and to give area lawmakers a forum.

The spring newsletter, he said, contained “misinformation that deserves response.”

Councilwoman Heather Schmidt told Lloyd, “If you’re stating that Laurie is putting out misinformation, then back it up with facts.”

“Mayor, you’re the mayor and a lot of people look up to you, but back it up with facts,” she said.

She said many residents don’t come to the meetings, suggesting the newsletter was an appropriate means of discussing the borough’s financial state.

Council members John Maggio and Joan Hodson weren’t happy about the newsletter situation.

“I don’t want anymore of this being done in the newsletter,” Hodson said. “I want to be given the opportunity to rebut a rebuttal.”

In other borough news, council approved giving Assistant Borough Manager Ian McMeans a raise to $41,000, starting in June. McMeans had earned $36,000. The vote was 5-2, with councilmen Eugene Barilla and John Maggio opposing.

“I think we can find somebody for less a price if we advertise it,” Barilla said.

Maggio said he thinks McMeans is doing a good job, but that 14 percent was too large a raise given the economy.

McMeans, who has a master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University, started with the borough last May.