WEST PITTSTON — Council members accepted the resignation of president Jim Rose at their monthly meeting on Sept. 1.
Rose’s resignation will be effective Tuesday, Sept. 9.
The decision to accept the resignation was 5-1-1 with council member Pete Musinski voting no, and Rose abstaining from the decision.
Rose made the announcement, citing obligations in his personal life that are making it difficult for him to continue to serve on the council.
He served as a council member since 2006 and as president since 2014.
“I have a full time job, of course, we all do,” said Rose. “I also have a part-time job as the director of religious education at St. Barbara’s Parish and I’m going to be ordained to the permanent diaconate here in the Diocese of Scranton on Nov. 28. Some of those things (at the Diocese) have already started for me and so my time there is increasing, as it’s supposed to. My time at St. Barbara’s is always 20 hours a week and my work is also increasing. As a result, I had hoped to be able to continue until I was ordained, but the writing was on the wall and there isn’t enough time in the day.”
With Rose’s position being vacated, the borough council will advertise for a new member while vice president Brian Thornton will fill in as temporary president until council members vote on a new president which, Rose expects, will be at the next monthly meeting.
In other business, council members:
• Approved authorization for borough solicitor Savino Bonita to readvertise for vehicle fuel bids for 2016.
• Approved a motion to draw funds from the Luzerne County Office of Community Development and authorize the payment of $2,850 to Ashburn Advisors for the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recover Infrastructure Project to fix any properties owned by the borough still damaged from the 2011 flood.
The next borough council meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at the borough building, 555 Exeter Ave.
