Fate of Niles recovery plan to be decided Tuesday

NILES — Council members are far from happy with Mayor Thomas Scarnecchia’s latest version of the fiscal emergency recovery plan, but may still vote for it when they meet in special session later Tuesday.

Today, four members voted against suspending the rules to pass the plan as an emergency as was the case at its first reading last Wednesday.

The plan was moved to its third reading with Councilman Frank Pezzano, D-1st, casting the lone negative vote. Pezzano declined to comment after the meeting.

Councilman Ryan McNaughton, D-at large, who last week said he could not vote for the plan because it fails to address the financial issues caused by the debt on the city’s Wellness Center, voted to move the issue to a third reading, but cautioned against interpreting his vote as supporting the plan.

“I did not vote for the plan today,” McNaughton said. “I only voted to move it to third reading.” The council member said he did not know how he will vote at today’s final reading.

McNaughton and other council members complained the mayor offered no solution to the center’s debt problem in his latest recovery-plan amendments. The city had hoped to lease the building and save $160,000 annually, but no one responded to its request for bids.

For the complete story, read Tuesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com