One in, two out.

Coaldale gained a mayor but then lost two council members at Tuesday night’s council meeting.

Council unanimously appointed Eric Ramirez mayor, replacing Herb Whildin, who resigned last month.

But at the end of the nearly three-hour long meeting, longtime council members Clare Remington and Wayne Figner abruptly resigned.

During the meeting, Remington became involved in two discussions in which she disagreed with Council President Angela Krapf. One of the disputes centered around entering into a contract. Council voted 5-1 to enter into a contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to get free office assistance for six months, and assistance with the borough’s finances.

Krapf said DCED will fund the office help entirely, and fund 90% of the financial assistance.

Although she was in favor of the agreement, Krapf was the lone no vote, because she said council had illegally entered into the contract “between meetings” - allegedly violating the Sunshine Act - which Remington disagreed with.

“At the last meeting, I thought we all agreed on it,” Remington said.

Remington also put a motion on the floor to hire Chris Turner as the second member of the borough street crew. But council members wanted to bring in the applicants for interviews during an executive session, Council also approved an agreement with Brian Erbe to become the lead streets employee.

As the session wore on, Remington appeared to be organizing items in her council desk. She then sealed a plastic bag with items in it, and had apparently cleaned the desk out before leaving.

Near the end of the meeting, Figner became involved in a discussion on a borough police camera being routed to a private residence in an attempt to monitor potential vandalism of borough property. Figner then stood up and said, “I will submit my resignation papers tomorrow,” and also walked out.

Ramirez, who was one of three applicants but the only one nominated for the position, cited his work experience as his biggest asset to be mayor. He is CEO and owner of Zerimar Defense and Tactics, a firm that coordinates security operations and private investigation.

“I believe I am the best person for the position as I have many years of management experience, problem-solving skills and am uniquely qualified to unite the citizens of Coaldale,” Ramirez wrote in his application letter. “We are in pursuit of one common goal - a stronger, more unified Coaldale.”

Ramirez said he wants to work to reopen the Angela Theatre, has helped raise money for the Lansford Community Pool, and has recently become involved in the borough’s Crime Watch program.

“I plan to become more involved in that endeavor,” Ramirez said of the Crime Watch program. “I will take a strong stand against blight, and work energetically to improve the living conditions in the borough.”

The other applicants were Theodore N. Bortnick, who served as the borough’s mayor from 1981-85, and Robert Demyanovich, a member of the Lansford-Coaldale Water Authority.

At the end of the meeting, Remington said, “I’m done playing politics. I resign,” and got up and walked out of the council meeting room.