Leaders air gripes at Struthers council meeting

STRUTHERS

Tempers and vendettas were on full display Wednesday night during city council’s meeting.

During what would otherwise have been an unremarkable meeting, tensions that had been heating up between various individuals and factions within the city’s leadership reached a boiling point.

Former councilman Robert Carcelli, brother of current Councilman Ronald Carcelli, D-2nd, expressed frustration at a council meeting earlier this month over issues he has with the administration, and accused Mayor Terry Stocker of taking two months to return a phone call. He also claimed Safety Service Director Ed Wildes was collecting a public pension while earning a salary from his city position and that Stocker was trying to sweep Wildes’ recent altercation with Judge Dominic Leone under the rug.

Robert Carcelli and Stocker formerly served together as councilmen and were at one time friends.

Stocker, who was not at that meeting, took the opportunity Wednesday night to address the comments made by Robert Carcelli.

Stocker said he keeps an open door policy and that he did return Carcelli’s call and invited him to meet with him any time. He went on to call the comments made by Carcelli regarding Wildes’ pension “inappropriate” and advised council to take action to shut down future discussion of those issues. The mayor also said he gave counsel to Wildes after he was held in contempt of court by Judge Leone for the incident earlier in the month.

Later, Councilman Mike Patrick, D-at large, asked if the mayor had a counseling degree that provided him with the expertise to handle Patrick, which prompted Councilman Dallas Bigley, D-at large and mayoral hopeful, to fire back at Patrick that Patrick had been the subject of harassment allegations last spring after verbally assaulting the clerk of council. Councilman Joe Rudzik, D-at large, called for everyone to stop fighting and settle their private grievances in private.

Read more about the exchanges, read Thursday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.