Coaldale mayor, secretary/treasurer resign
Coaldale secretary/treasurer Andrea Davis quit her job Monday, citing "workplace bullying," and Mayor Richard Kellner has tendered a letter of resignation.
Council is expected to address the moves in its meeting tonight.Davis, who was hired in October 2013, said in a phone interview that she could not stay at her job due to conditions."It's a hostile work environment," Davis said. "I think there's a conflict of interest with the council president married to the police sergeant; because of that situation I've been asked to do things that ethically I'm not comfortable with doing."Davis would not elaborate on the specifics of her accusations regarding the conflict of interest but said she had sought legal counsel.During recent meetings, Kellner, who took office in January, and council President Angela Krapf have argued over police scheduling and the hiring of part-time officers. Contacted by phone Monday, Kellner declined to comment.Krapf is married to Sgt. Keith Krapf, who is the officer in charge of the Coaldale Police Department. Neither of the Krapfs could be reached for comment."I just can't watch everything that's going on any longer," Davis said. "The way things are being done is not what's best for the town, and it's going to run this town into the ground."Losing the borough's secretary/treasurer is the latest personnel change for Coaldale. Zoning officer Pete Sachon resigned in October; he did not respond to phone messages Monday.During the past year, two council members have passed away. Steve Tentylo passed away July 10, and council appointed Yvonne Stoffey to his seat. Council member Linda Miller had surgery last month, and shortly after that she participated in the Nov. 11 council meeting by speaker phone. She died Nov. 16.In April 2012, council members voted to furlough their four full-time police officers, which included Chief Tim Delaney, Keith Krapf, and two full-time officers.In 2014, with Krapf elected as president, council voted to restore the police force with three full-time officers.For the past three years, Coaldale council has developed a balanced budget with no tax increase; the proposed budget for 2015 also does not include a tax increase.Delaney had been off work since August 2013, when he accidentally injured his "shooting" finger by shooting himself with a stun gun.Since then, the borough had been responsible for paying one-third of Delaney's $53,000 salary, with the remaining two-thirds paid for through workers' compensation.In August 2014, council voted to stop paying the benefits.It was a 4-2 roll call vote, with Krapf and Councilwoman Brenda Hosler voting to keep paying the benefits.