MOUNT POCONO – At the end of the three-hour May 3 meeting, one wry resident remarked that the borough no longer has minutes, “it has hours.”

Changing council president mid-term has not resulted in either more efficient or more civil meetings.
The May 3 meeting was once again marred by the bickering, interruptions, and gavel-banging that has become routine at borough council meetings.

It all happened at a meeting in which the mayor unironically read a prepared statement lauding the civility of their meetings since March.

Question Raised Over Allegedly Altered Official Recording

This month the fireworks started barely ten minutes into the meeting, when council erupted during a normally routine approval of prior meeting minutes.
After a divided vote approving the April minutes, Claudette Williams asked why the minutes of March 4 had not been prepared.

That was the contentious meeting at which she was replaced as president by Fran O’Boyle.

Joshua Walker, the Borough Manager and Secretary had prepared minutes of that meeting from the official recording. However members objected to the minutes and they were not approved.

Subsequently, the recording disappeared from the borough offices. It was only later that it was learned the mayor had secretly removed the tape.

Council then, on a divided vote, accepted the mayor’s proposal to have the entire meeting transcribed by a court reporter.
In responding to Williams, Walker said they were still waiting for the transcript.

Walker said a staff member who listened to the tape after it was returned by the mayor had noted differences in the recording. Including that the pitch and speed appeared to have been altered.

Williams asked Walker, “Are you saying the tape the mayor returned to you was not the same tape that left this building?”
“That’s right,” Walker responded.

While Williams summarized Walker’s statements, the mayor grabbed his microphone and interrupted her shouting, “it was the same tape.”

At that point, O’Boyle banged the gavel and, pointing it at Williams, said “I won’t let this get out of control. Is there a policeman back there because someone’s going out the door!”

After a few minutes of more back and forth, O’Boyle walked his comments back and the meeting proceeded.

Double-Secret Probation & Taped Conversations with Staff

Once again, beleaguered Borough Manager Walker’s report to council triggered council eruptions.

Walker told council he was advised that his probationary period was extended 60 days, through May 20. He asked O’Boyle for the reason for that.

The solicitor interrupted and told Walker that’s a personnel matter and he wasn’t entitled to be told at a public meeting.
Walker asked if he could be given some information about his own probationary period, “Am I even going to have a job after May 20?” His question turned out to be rhetorical as the solicitor again rebuffed his inquiry.

Walker then reported to council that Penn, created an “uncomfortable” atmosphere in the borough building with the revelation that he had secretly recorded conversations with staff.

Walker related that the mayor entered his office on the day after the April meeting in which it was revealed the mayor had secretly removed the official recording of the March meeting, as well as other documents from other offices and files. Walker said the mayor told him not to “be making accusations he didn’t know anything about.”

At some point, Walker said the mayor mentioned recordings, which Walker took to refer to the missing meeting tapes. The mayor admitted taking documents and files from the borough offices, but told Walker he did it at legal counsel’s request, but wouldn’t tell him what lawyer told him to do that.

At that point, Walker asked for a witness to the conversation. After the witness was brought in, the mayor told her that he was recording that conversation. Walker said he was surprised to hear that.

“That was extremely uncomfortable,” Walker told the council. “I don’t recall consenting to it, but it was very strange . . . it was very uncomfortable.” Walker said that he had right to know requests for recordings that would cover that recording. He asked for a timeline for when he could get a copy of the mayor’s tape recording of their conversation.

The solicitor said he needed to review the recording to see if it fell within the right to know law.

Who Has Legal
Control of Records

Williams raised a number of issues over the proper handling of records. Williams read from statutory provisions which she said granted the borough secretary exclusive custodianship of all borough records. She questioned the propriety of anyone removing records from the building without the borough secretary’s consent or even knowledge.

O’Boyle objected that she was airing “dirty laundry in front of everybody.”

“Don’t let the public know what’s going on behind closed doors, that’s what you mean,” council member Stacy Stewart-Keeler told O’Boyle.

“The issue is closed,” O’Boyle ruled. He then called for the treasurer’s report.

Williams raised an issue with a $10,000 legal bill from the Pittsburgh law firm they hired for labor matters. One of the entries on the invoice, Williams said, was for review of the personnel handbook. No one could explain why the law firm was reviewing he handbook, no who gave them a copy. The bill was tabled and removed from the accounts paid.

The next meeting of council is scheduled for Monday, May 17. However, since that is the night before election day, with the mayor, Stewart-Keeler, Ron Emilie, and Patty Bucco on the ballot, they may reschedule. Check our website for the latest.