Lansford Borough Council doesn’t want the town’s mayor to attend its executive sessions, where they can legally discuss employees, lawsuits and other confidential issues behind closed doors.

The mayor, Michele Bartek, says the sessions help her to do her job.

During a special meeting on Tuesday, council voted to exclude Bartek from an executive session. They also directed the borough solicitor to come up with a policy that would permanently bar the mayor from attending the sessions, which usually happen before and after regular council meetings.

Council members Bob Silver and Martin Ditsky voted against the decisions, and Marie Ondrus was absent.

Tuesday’s executive session was held to discuss the borough secretary-treasurer position, which will be vacant as of April 28. During the meeting, council accepted the resignation of Jill Seigendall. Following the session, council voted to look for a new secretary-treasurer.

In most cases, a public meeting is required when at least four council members meet in the same place. However closed executive sessions are allowed under state law when council members discuss confidential matters such as employees or legal issues.

Council President Bruce Markovich said the mayor doesn’t need to be in executive sessions because she is not a voting member of council.

“The contents of the executive session have nothing to do with the mayor or anything she is in charge of. She has no reason to be here,” Markovich said.

Bartek said she learned of council’s plans the day before through an email. The email said they plan to ban her from all upcoming executive sessions.

She said she was also banned from a session during last week’s regular council meeting. During that session council discussed grievances filed by police officers because of discipline actions by Bartek. During the public session of last week’s meeting, council voted during the meeting to direct Bartek to remove letters of discipline she had filed against two officers.

Bartek said the letters are justified, but she wouldn’t discuss the contents because they are confidential employee matters.

Bartek said she disagrees with council’s decision to ban her, and makes valuable contributions to the meetings.

While the mayor doesn’t vote in meetings, the responsibilities do include breaking ties if council is deadlocked on a decision.

“If I don’t know about something because I’m not in executive session, how do they expect me to vote on it? They’re hindering my ability to do my job,” Bartek said.