Clarifying a few facts in Tarentum race, scheme or not

Today I was shown a copy of a letter Carl Magnetta mailed to voters of the First, Second, and Third Wards in Tarentum. With two years to go in his current term as the Third Ward councilperson, he is running against Ginger Sopcak for the at-large position on the Borough Council. There are some inaccuracies in the facts he reports in the letter.

The relevant portion of his letter reads as follows:

The citizens of Tarentum Borough recently received a note from my opponent, Ms. Sopcak about a so called "scheme" taking place by Tarentum Council.

I wanted to make things clear for the taxpayers. Two meter companies presented their plans at an open water committee meeting Monday, October 10th. The costs were way out of line.

At the regular council meeting on October 17th, a discussion took place and I said to start the discussion, "Tarentum Borough taxpayers cannot handle this debt, furthermore, we just simply cannot afford something of this magnitude. We simply cannot even entertain this idea." Everyone was in unanimous agreement and the issue was dropped. The meeting went on with other business. Closed subject.

Facts speak "loud and clear." Minutes of the meeting are of public record. There was also a reporter from the Valley News taking notes if anyone would need further proof.

I presume that the note to which Mr. Magnetta refers is the campaign flyer handed out by Ms. Sopcak as she has gone door to door. The relevant portion of that flyer reads as follows:

Can you afford higher taxes or higher water rates for a two million dollar water metering system?

Then you must cast your vote for a responsible borough government.

I along with several members of the community circulated a petition urging council to reject a scheme that we simply cannot afford.

Unfortunately, council chose to ignore the clear expression of many in the community. No action or vote of the council was taken. This issue was brushed aside until after the election.

I was an observer at part of the October 10 meeting and at the borough council meeting on October 17. There were also reporters from the Valley News Dispatch present at each meeting (Susan Thompson at the meeting on October 10, and Misty Chybrzynski at the meeting on October 17). As relieved as I am to hear Mr. Magnetta put his views on the meter issue in writing on the eve of the election, I believe there are some inaccuracies in his description of the matter.

I did not write down Mr. Magnetta's words as he opened the discussion, but the words he used in his letter are in accord with my memory. However, I believe his memory is inaccurate when he says that "everyone was in unanimous agreement." I observed a very strong consensus, with one clear and vocal holdout. Joe Davidek voiced his distress about the fact that not accepting the $2 million dollar offer meant that accomplishing the upgrade would take too long for his tastes.

The meeting did go on with other business, but no motion had been made, and accordingly no vote was taken. The matter was not closed.

Mr. Magnetta claims that the minutes of the meeting are of public record. I believe that he is in error again. The council has not yet met since October 17 to approve the minutes that will be in the public record. There is not yet an official record that anyone can check to verify Mr. Magnetta's assertion. Neither the Valley News Dispatch nor I reported any closure on the water meter issue.

I believe that when the minutes of the October 17 meeting are approved they will not show that Mr. Magnetta cast a vote against the two million dollar proposal, although both he and Ms. Sopcak have now verbally spoken against it.

It is good for Tarentum voters to know that whichever candidate is elected to the at-large position, the person who will hold that position is someone with the clear thinking to recognize the unreasonableness of the two million dollar proposal.

File under : Tarentum, politics, power, water