CITY COUNCIL | At Wednesday's meeting

Watched as Paul D. Pancoe, 48, of Helena Avenue was sworn in as 6th Ward councilman by Judge Elizabeth Kobly of Youngstown Municipal Court. Pancoe had been appointed Saturday by the 6th Ward Democratic precinct committee members to replace Clarence Boles, who resigned, effective Sept. 1, when his felony record became known. Council assigned Pancoe to its buildings and grounds, education, safety and public health committees, the same committees Boles served on.
Heard a tearful Kellie Rabiega, a 10-year resident of Newbern Circle, plead for Council's help to stop repeated flooding of basements in her neighborhood. When her basement was flooded in July 2003, she lost her furnace, washer, dryer and hot water heater. After that, she installed a sewage back flow preventer valve at a cost of $1,200, but, on Sept. 8, 2004, her basement was filled with 21/2 feet of water, forcing her to replace a furnace motor and have her washer and dryer repaired. This time, she said city waste officials told her the sewage backup was due to the breakdown of a pump on Poland Avenue and failure of an emergency generator to start. "Our homes smell, our belongings are worthless and we're spending money," on flood recovery, she said of herself and her neighbors.
Authorized the board of control to negotiate to buy property for possible construction of a new municipal court in space bounded by Fifth and Belmont avenues, Orchard Place and West Wood Street.