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By JENNIFER LEARN jlearn@leader.net
Friday, February 04, 2000 Page: 3A
HANOVER TWP. – Frank Ciavarella said he works alongside the garbage
collectors and plow drivers he was in charge of last week, a victim of what he
calls an illegal demotion from his position as township Public Works director.
Minority Commissioner Ralph Fino said the Board of Commissioners never
voted on the demotion.
The state Department of Community and Economic Development and Ciavarella’s
lawyer, Bruce Phillips, said the Board of Commissioners must publicly vote on
demotions.
Ciavarella said he plans to challenge the legality of the vote in a lawsuit
to regain his director position.
Even Ciavarella’s stint as a laborer could be short-lived.
Republican Majority Commissioner Bill Watkins said Public Works Supervisor
Bill “Red” Morgan will oversee Ciavarella until Feb. 14, when commissioners
expect to pass a new budget that will remove Ciavarella from the payroll
altogether.
Watkins said Morgan was put in charge of the department to ensure a smooth
transition. Watkins said he considers demotions administrative decisions that
can be made without a board vote.
Watkins said he supports getting rid of Ciavarella because he believes the
$36,000-a-year director’s salary should be spent on other items, such as a new
Road Department truck or playground repairs.
“I think Red will do an outstanding job,” Watkins said.
Until he is axed, Ciavarella said he will do as he is told on the advice of
his attorney.
Ciavarella, a Republican commissioner who sides with Democrats, was hired
in September amid cries of politics and job creation. But Ciavarella says he
has eliminated the politics, laziness and favoritism that stifled production
in the department.
He and township Administrator Ed Mera removed several couches and recliners
from the Public Works Building and a basement storage room used as a hideaway
beneath Franklin Hose Co. No. 4.
Now Ciavarella predicts the couches will return.
“I overhead one of the workers telling another one, `It looks like you’ll
be getting your couch back,’ ” Ciavarella said Thursday.
Ciavarella said he learned about the demotion from Mera on Wednesday. He
said Mera got the order from board Chairman John Sipper, who could not be
reached for comment. Mera said he cannot discuss the matter because it
involves personnel.
Ciavarella said Morgan already ordered him to do jobs on private property.
Ciavarella said he refused because Morgan would not put those orders in
writing. Morgan could not be reached for comment.
“It’s like the sergeant telling the captain what to do,” Ciavarella said.
“They took all my duties off me. They violated my rights, and they’re
embarrassing me.”
Fino, a Democrat, said he is upset he never got the opportunity to publicly
vote or express an opinion on the demotion. He said the other Republican
commissioners voiced their dissatisfaction with Ciavarella at an executive
session after a special budget meeting Tuesday night.
One reason mentioned in executive session, according to Fino, was that
Ciavarella would not perform extra snow removal in front of a church as
ordered by a commissioner. Ciavarella said he refused to do deluxe snow
removal on streets in front of private buildings until he dug out fire
hydrants and intersections.
“I’m being politically harassed, no question,” Ciavarella said. “It’s
just too bad the people of Hanover Township will end up paying for something
like this because of politics.”
Call Learn at 831-7333.