May 25, 2006 2 min read

If you thought something was an emergency situation, would you wait 14 months to do something about it? Probably not – and that’s just one reason the argument put forth by Connellsville Mayor Judy Reed for tearing down the fire-damaged Comfort Corner Shoe Store just doesn’t hold water. If a building is damaged by fire in February 2005, it’s a real stretch of credibility to say in April 2006 that it had to come down, pronto, as an emergency demolition But that’s exactly what Reed, supported by councilmen Terry Bodes and David McIntire, did on April 11.

Unfortunately, this comedy of errors has other subplots, none of which should make taxpayers or good government advocates happy. First is the fact that council had already contracted with Ritenour and Sons Construction Co. to tear down the building, after that firm submitted a low bid of $38,000 in October 2005. (Please take note of the words “low bid,” because we’re going to come back to that point.)

In early April Reed announced only that a “benefactor” would provide the funds needed to demolish the building, ignoring Councilman Brad Geyer’s reasonable request to name names.But behind the scenes, as a March 24 letter revealed, the city and HSBC of North America had already struck a deal whereby the firm would contribute $30,000 to the cause. Reed, who should know better, played stupid when asked about the new contract. “I’m not going to give that cost until it (the building) comes down,” said Reed, who should be reminded that we don’t live in a monarchy and it’s not within her discretion to withhold such information when doing the public’s business.

But maybe its the stinky way this was done that had Reed tongue-tied. In addition to ignoring the prior contract with Ritenour, which has triggered a lawsuit by that jilted firm, Reed used her emergency powers to have contractor Rodney Allen tear down the building at a cost of $26,000. And how did he get the work? Well, someone from the city apparently made some phone calls to contractors. That’s not a proper way to do the public’s business, especially when state law requires a formal advertisement for bids when the work amount exceeds $10,000.

At minimum, these type of shenanigans represent a short-circuiting of the spirit of the law. They should not be tolerated by anyone who believes in good government.