Advertising snafu halts Fayette commission meeting
An advertising mix-up caused the regular meeting of the Fayette County Commission set for Thursday to be postponed until next week.
Commissioner Vincent Zapotosky advised those entering the Public Service Building conference room that, due to some confusion, the meeting would not be held, causing some to question the last-minute delay.
“I was asked to be here in recognition of Older Americans Month,” said Emma Jane Davis of Dawson. “I come in here and then am told that the meeting is canceled.”
Zapotosky said that questions began to arise Wednesday as to whether the meeting was or should have been advertised, because it was not being held on the established day for regular meetings.
Because of the primary election falling on the same day as the typical regular meeting, the commission had agreed in January by resolution it would move it to Thursday.
Zapotosky said that, while he believed the unanimously approved resolution and posting notice of the meeting date at the Public Safety Building and on the county website were sufficient, the inquiry as to whether it should be published in the newspaper raised some question with the solicitor.
“Because we perhaps didn’t cover all the bases, solicitor (John) Cupp said it would be best to postpone it and reschedule it for next week,” he said.
Although the meeting Thursday was canceled prior to its being called to order, attorney Melissa Melewsky, legal counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association (PNA), said that the act requires agencies to publish both their regular and special meetings.
“If they knew at the beginning of the year that a few meetings would not fall within the regular schedule, they could have included the special dates in the initial public notice ad at the beginning of the year,” she said, adding that regular meetings, too, are to be published.
Jerrie Mazza of Vanderbilt, who along with her husband, Ralph, regularly attends the commission meetings, said that she was confused about the meeting date and kept close watch on the legal notices posted in the newspaper for some notification.
“I knew (May 20) was election day, and it wasn’t going to be held then,” she said. “When I didn’t see anything in the newspaper, I called the courthouse and was told it was (Thursday).”
Jerrie Mazza said that a resolution to hold a meeting on a certain day and time is not a legal advertisement to notify the public.
“The Sunshine Act specifically states that the meeting has to be advertised 24 hours in advance and notices posted,” she said. “For them to think they can pass a resolution back whenever and people will know is wrong.”
While in agreement that to cancel the meeting was the appropriate action by the commission, Jerrie Mazza said that it should have been done in a more timely manner so that they, like Davis, did not needlessly make the trip to Uniontown.
“They should have made the effort to cancel it and get the news out there,” she said.
Commissioner Al Ambrosini, meanwhile, said that he was advised that the practice of past administrations was to set meeting dates and times and have them published, which was done at the start of the current administration.
“We have maintained the second Tuesday for agenda meetings and third Tuesdays for regular meetings with few exceptions,” he said. “When we set the meetings for this year, it was noted that, because of the spring and fall election, we would move the regular meetings in those months.
“There was an oversight in publishing the meeting dates, and we will address it.”
Commissioner Angela M. Zimmerlink declined to comment.
Ambrosini speculated that the May regular meeting would be rescheduled for later next week.