bangkok news headlines: Glassport council appoints president, vice president

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Glassport council appoints president, vice president

By Michael DiVittorio

Published: Wednesday, July 17, 2013, 2:41?a.m.
Updated 3 hours ago

Glassport council has a new president and vice president.

Eugene Skerkoski was appointed president and Dave Kowalski was named vice president at Tuesday night's meeting.

Skerkoski assumed the role of acting president when Terry DiMarco resigned last month as president, but not from his council seat.

DiMarco was in his second year as president. Skerkoski served as vice president during the two years DiMarco was president. DiMarco was not at Tuesday night's meeting.

This marks the first year for Kowalski as vice president.

Kowalski said he does not expect much change in his work on council with the new title.

In other business, Mayor Michael Evanovich announced traffic citations are high compared to previous months. He said officers have made an effort to combat aggressive driving and motor vehicle violations. ?People don't understand that sign that says ?Stop,'? Evanovich said.

Exact citation numbers were not mentioned.

Council heard from a handful of tenants living in a duplex raided last month by borough police because their landlord allegedly grew marijuana there.

A tenant who said he was dying of cancer, another who works at a fast-food restaurant in West Mifflin, and a third tenant all rebutted 57 neighbors who signed a letter urging the borough to shut down the house as a nuisance.

The three said they do not use or sell drugs, contrary to a claim in a letter given to The Daily News at a preliminary hearing last week for homeowner Beau Zimmerman.

One tenant told The Daily News in a telephone interview on Monday that he had moved in on June 27, six days after the raid.

Councilors announced Glassport Citizen's Hose Co. No. 1 will have its annual street fair Thursday through Saturday along the 500 block of Allegheny Avenue. Firefighters are asking businesses to sponsor a booth for a donation to help cut the cost of fireworks and the fair. Fireworks will be on Saturday.

More information is available by calling 412-672-2025.

Council unanimously approved donating $500 to the fireworks celebration and $125 toward the county firefighters convention advertisement book.

Staff Writer Patrick Cloonan contributed to this story. Michael DiVittorio is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-664-9161, ext. 1965, or mdivittorio@tribweb.com.