Former Monessen mayor files lawsuit over alleged Sunshine Law violations
A contentious Monessen reorganizational meeting is now the subject of a second lawsuit over alleged Sunshine Law violations.
The former mayor of Monessen, Lou Mavrakis, filed a lawsuit in Westmoreland County Court alleging Mayor Matt Shorraw did not allow public comments during the meeting and failed to provide an agenda before the meeting. Shorraw and City Council members Gilbert Coles and Donald Gregor are also accused of illegally firing the city’s solicitor and city administrator, and hiring replacements.
That was the first meeting Shorraw had attended since May 2018. The first-term mayor missed more than 40 meetings, contending, among other things, that he was threatened. Coles, a Shorraw ally, had attended only one meeting since February 2018.
Gregor, who was elected in November, was sworn in at the Jan. 6 meeting.
During a public comment period on agenda items during that meeting, Ron Mozer and others attempted to question Shorraw about his absences. A second public comment period scheduled for the end of the meeting on any business was not held.
Like Mavrakis, Mozer filed a suit contending similar Sunshine Law violations.
“I sat in that chair for years. I’m 82 years old, and I’ve never seen anything like that in all my life,” Mavrakis said. “Everything about that meeting was completely illegal.”
Each vote generated heated debates, and Shorraw was peppered with questions by both council members and the public. When Shorraw was asked at the meeting why he made a motion to fire the solicitor, Shorraw said simply, “We are moving in a new direction” and did not answer follow-up questions.
Mavrakis described the meeting as “complete chaos” and said it was an embarrassment to the city.
“It was really, you can’t say it was a comedy because it was so bad,” he said. “It can’t get any worse than that.”
Tim Witt, who was hired as the city’s solicitor during the meeting, did not immediately return calls seeking comment. The lawsuit asks the court to declare the Jan. 6 meeting illegal and reverse all actions taken during the meeting.
The lawsuit further asks Shorraw, Coles and Gregor to pay a fine of $500 each.