A fight nearly broke out in the lobby of the Monroeville municipal building where council met Thursday night, when council candidate Paul Caliari confronted a resident whom Caliari and some Monroeville officials have accused of stirring the political pot.
“You've got a mouth,” Caliari said to John Yakim. “And I will bust your mouth.”
Monroeville Police Chief Steve Pascarella, who was in the lobby at the time, ended the argument.
Caliari and another council candidate accused Yakim of posting a photo of Caliari and his children on a campaign website that supports Caliari's opponent. Yakim denied posting the photo.
During the meeting, Monroeville Mayor Greg Erosenko and Councilman Steve Duncan leveled accusations of obscene behavior at a recent executive session against Councilwoman Lois Drumheller.
Erosenko said Drumheller was swearing at other council members, and physically blocked the doorway to prohibit certain members of council from leaving the room.
Drumheller denied the accusation.
“You don't have an idea what I did, because you walked out of that room,” she said.
“Yeah, because you were swearing like a trooper,” Erosenko replied.
Monroeville Solicitor Bruce Dice interjected at one point during the meeting, saying that when he attends municipal meetings elsewhere, one of the first questions is, “What's going on in Monroeville?”
A federal investigation into the municipality's emergency dispatch computer system is ongoing. An attorney hired by the municipality last month warned residents that people who called Monroeville's dispatch center with emergencies in recent months should check their bank accounts and credit reports for possible tampering.
