NEW CASTLE New mayor is astonished council passes on budget

The mayor-elect plans to identify an administrator candidate by Dec. 15.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- There's very little that Wayne Alexander hasn't heard since being elected mayor.
But last week's discussion by city council about not voting on departing Mayor Timothy Fulkerson's budget left him flabbergasted.
"They stuck me with this. This is unconscionable," Alexander said. "They didn't vote on the pension, and they aren't going to vote on the budget."
Last month, city council delayed voting on a new manager for the city's pension fund, and last week some council members said they don't plan to vote for the 2004 budget. If council does not vote, the budget will pass automatically.
Council members contend the budget is chock-full of holes and they would rather let Alexander handle them.
Two deficits
There is about an $800,000 deficit in the general fund and a $1.5 million hole in the pension fund that must be funded in 2004.
During his campaign, Alexander said he would not raise taxes, but with those figures, there may be no other choice.
The mayor-elect said he believes an early retirement plan started by his predecessor will cover the general fund budget deficit, but the pension fund problems are another matter.
He learned about the $1.5 million hole in the budget only last week, he said. His only options are raising the earned income tax or real estate taxes, or taking out a loan.
Alexander said he is now looking into a loan. He's concerned that any increase in income or real estate taxes will hurt the downtown revitalization.
City streets and sidewalks have been resurfaced and new lamp posts and parking meters have been placed downtown in an effort to draw more businesses and shoppers.
Parks plan
Alexander said he'd like to see the work continue, but he's not sure he's on board with all of the previous administration's plans for the downtown. The next phase of work was to include several small parks downtown.
"Parks are good, but how many do we need?" he said.
There are also some ongoing problems he's trying to work on.
The city transit authority has a $1.5 million grant to put in a new transfer station on East Washington Street near the former Troutman's building, but it must take possession of the property -- something that hasn't been done yet, Alexander said.
And then there's the traffic light monitoring system meant to keep traffic flowing that was built into the downtown budget, but never purchased, as well as a host of other problems -- such as barrels on North Street that have yet to be removed.
Alexander says he gets daily calls from citizens about these issues.
Since Election Day, Alexander has set up an office at Signature Hill on Highland Avenue. He won't be sworn into office until January.
The century-old building is owned by Angelo Papa, Alexander's choice for city solicitor. Members of the mayor-elect's transition team ease in and out of the impressive dark-wood conference room that overlooks the city.
Alexander says he's excited to have Papa on board. The attorney has agreed to allow the city to lease the grounds of the building for $1 per year. The area, Alexander hopes, will be used to have picnics for midget football teams and other community events.
Present priority
But the transition team's priority now is getting a new city business administrator, he said. Alexander said during his campaign that long-time city business administrator John DiMuccio would not hold that position in his administration. DiMuccio is taking the city's early retirement offer OK'd by council last month.
Alexander said he hopes to have his business administrator candidate identified by Dec. 15. Advertisement in area newspapers paid for by Alexander garnered more than 40 applicants. About 10 are being interviewed by a committee, he said.
Alexander believes it is the most important position to be filled in his new administration. He is also responsible for naming all department heads in the city. All must ultimately be approved by council.
Campaign promises
Alexander says he will stick with his campaign promises to work for the average citizen.
He hopes to have one day a month free to have anyone come into city hall with concerns. Alexander said all department heads will be present and the meetings will be open to the public.
"We won an election we were never supposed to win. It's not going to be business as usual. It's not going to be a boys club," he said. "I made no promises. I made no commitments. The majority of my campaign money came from myself."
cioffi@vindy.com