Published Friday, September 27, 2002
Sharon absorb
Southwest
Herald Staff Writer
Sharon council voted 3 to 2 Thursday night not to study whether the city's police department should consider merging with Southwest Mercer County Regional Police Department.
Many members of Sharon's force attended the meeting to show their united support against a merger.
Patrolman Travis Martwinski, president of Fraternal Order of Police Rose of Sharon Lodge 3, told council that the 30 men in the department have a vested interest in what's best for city residents because they don't just work in Sharon, they also live there. He said the policemen share the same interest in residents that Mayor David O. Ryan and all of the council members do.
"Under a COG regime, they have no interest in Sharon," Martwinski said, adding Mercer County Regional Council of Governments just "wants their piece of the pie."
Ryan reiterated what he has said before: He would use his veto power on any merger plan that would come across his desk.
The mayor said he has a plan for Sharon to take over Southwest and eliminate that department's police commission.
Ryan said he never had a chance to present it during an August meeting of officials from Sharon and Farrell, Wheatland and West Middlesex, the communities Southwest covers.
Councilman Lou Rotunno said he didn't see any harm in conducting a study, something that "wouldn't cost the city a dime."
"I think we can make intelligent decisions with the proper information," Rotunno said.
Councilman Fred Hoffman agreed. But, he said he said he would support Ryan's idea for Sharon to take over Southwest.
Recent publicity over a possible merger has been "much ado about nothing," Hoffman said. He said officials are considering the study because the Southwest police commission asked them to consider it.
Hoffman also said he wanted to dispel the rumor that city officials don't want the policemen to be a part of the discussions.
Police were not invited to the August meeting because it was for city officials though Police Chief Thomas Burke attended at the request of the mayor, Hoffman said. "Chief Burke, quite frankly, had no business being there."
Hoffman said he wants the police to have input, he understands their concerns and he wants to see the department strengthened. He said he is concerned about the amount of time Sharon police spend assisting Southwest, though he understands the departments help each other.
Council members Raymond Fabian, George Gulla and Chris Outrakis all said they were opposed to the study.
Fabian said he is against it because of the ongoing Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Study Commission, which is creating a plan to merge five Shenango Valley municipalities. Fabian said the merger of two police departments should wait until voters approve or reject the valleywide consolidation.
"I too will vote down the study," Mrs. Outrakis said. "I just don't believe that our policemen and our firemen should go anywhere but here. We tell them they have to live here," she said.
"There's so much opposition ... if there is a committee, I'm going to ask not to be on it," Fabian said.
David Ristvey, attorney for the FOP, issued a news release Monday stating that the union would charge unfair labor practices if any action concerning a consolidation of the two departments took place without FOP involvement.
At Thursday night's meeting Hoffman told Ristvey he was not permitted to speak.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at kgarrett@sharonherald.com