Blawnox manager, councilman resign; longtime volunteer fills post

Blawnox Council was hit with two resignations last week, but was able to fill one on the spot.

Manager Cindy Bahn, who was hired in May, resigned to accept a job closer to her home in Edgewood. She will leave Blawnox on March 17 to become the manager of West Homestead.

Councilman Mike Pugliese also resigned because work obligations caused him to miss the majority of meetings since his election in 2015.

Council appointed long-time fire department volunteer John Simmons to fill that position.

“I've worked hard to leave Blawnox a little better than I found it,” said Bahn, who last year bested 21 candidates for the job.

Bahn said she's proud of the progress she made while on the job for about 10 months, citing the hiring of a code enforcement officer, development of an employee handbook, regular updating of the borough website and creating a municipal presence on Twitter.

“We organized a full-day council retreat, developed a balanced budget for 2017 and increased general office organization for better efficiency,” she said.

Bahn came to Blawnox after serving as assistant manager in Wilkinsburg, where she helped oversee a 72-person staff.

“I am optimistic that a successor will be identified and hired,” she said. “Blawnox has a great deal of potential and I look forward to hearing about future successes.”

An ad seeking a new borough manager will be put on websites of the Local Government Academy, Pennsylvania Municipal League and the state Association of Boroughs.

Council President Debbie Laskey said Bahn's resignation poses a challenge, but can serve as a catalyst for change.

Council will continue to work with Debby Grass, a consultant with Grass Root Solutions to implement recommendations from the five-year financial management plan, Laskey said.

“The borough will need an experienced manager to administer the plan,” she said. “Council is optimistic that the search committee will identify a candidate with similar skills and competencies to guide the borough's early intervention program implementation and process renewal.” Simmons, 65, is looking forward to joining local government as a member of council.

A Democrat, he is the assistant chief of the Blawnox Volunteer Fire Co., where he has for served 27 years.

Simmons said he plans to focus on zoning, making sure codes are properly enforced and keeping the community “clean-looking.”

He plans to fill the two-year vacancy left by Pugliese and run for election when the term is up.

“I've always had an interest in being part of the community,” he said.

Tawnya Panizzi is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-782-2121, ext. 2 or at tpanizzi@tribweb.com.