All Jack Davis wanted to do was buy the former National Guard Armory in Scottdale for his growing business.
Davis owns Quality Support LLC in East Huntingdon, which makes plywood shipping containers for the military. In 2009, he purchased the armory, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, for $50,000.
Borough council refused to issue Davis an occupancy permit, even though the building is in an area zoned for commercial use. But the zoning hearing board ruled Davis' request complied with zoning laws.
According to meeting minutes, council went on to vote in secret on June 14 to appeal the hearing board's decision.
Westmoreland County Judge Richard McCormick Jr. upheld the zoning board's decision in an Oct. 25 ruling.
Then the real battle started.
Davis ran for -- and won -- a seat on borough council.
The rift between council and Davis has divided this former railroad and mining town of 4,700 residents.
It has cost taxpayers $11,000 to fight Davis during the past two years, according to council President Tom Ermine.
Meetings have turned into raucous, marathon sessions lasting hours. A website, factsbetold.com , covers council's every move and posts videos of meetings.
Last year, pastors of Scottdale churches received anonymous letters chastising citizens who were critical of council. Some of the letters were sent to churches attended by council's critics.
"Why does this group of 'concerned citizens' without skeletons, character flaws, half-truths, and the ability to twist facts, have such an insatiable need to destroy⢠How long can you pray together all the while tarnishing your neighbor⢠When will it end, if ever, and how long will they fester until they strike again," one undated letter read.
"It's all so wrong," said Conrad Mast, pastor of Scottdale Mennonite Church, who received a letter mentioning the names of several parishioners.
"Can't we have civilized public discourse in this borough?" said the Rev. Matthew Stabe, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church.
"This has turned Scottdale into a war zone," said Steve Banasick, who works for Davis and is one of council's leading critics.
Selective enforcement alleged
Banasick contends that residents who supported Davis started receiving citations for building code violations after Davis purchased the building in 2009.
Don Stanzak said he was cited for having an abandoned car in his yard -- even though the vehicle had plates and a registration sticker.
"If you had a sign in your yard for Jack Davis, you got a letter," Stanzak said. "I knocked on doors for Jack Davis."
Banasick was ordered to repaint his house within 30 days or face a $600 fine. He complied, but officials never returned to inspect his work.
John Chain, who owns six commercial buildings in Scottdale, said council began to find fault with his buildings and refused to issue occupancy permits.
He said his tenants received anonymous letters advising them that they should be careful who they rent from. Anonymous letters also were sent to his parents and girlfriend, he said.
Chain said he has a dozen vacant apartments he can't rent because the borough won't issue him occupancy permits.
"John has put money into this town and has been persecuted for it," Davis said.
Iva Malone, 82, who had a Davis sign in her yard, was told she needed a new roof on her home.
Her attorney accused council of selective enforcement of building code laws.
"Her roof was not bad at all," attorney Karen Kiefer said. "The roofer wondered why he was there. He repaired the roof, but there was a single, bad board."
Clarence "Sonny" Porter, another political supporter of Davis, said council ordered him last year to trim his tree, even though he'd paid $600 to cut them the year before.
"I'm very disgusted and hurt as to what goes on in a small town like this," Porter said.
James Rollo said he spent $11,000 in 2009 installing a roof on a duplex that he owns in Scottdale. Last year, he received a notice of violation for not maintaining his property after a tenant placed a Davis campaign sign in the yard.
"I spent $11,000 on the property, and I failed to maintain it?" he said.
Mayor Chuck King and some council members did not respond to requests for interviews.
Ermine blames Banasick for the town's turmoil.
"He thinks he split the community," Ermine said. "I get nothing but calls of support. They'd like to think we're a bunch of screwballs."
'I'm not enjoying this'
Davis said he doesn't understand why council is against him occupying the armory.
Since his election, he said, he's been getting the cold shoulder from his colleagues.
"I'm not enjoying this," he said.
"Anytime there's money to be spent, he's against it," Ermine said. "He might be getting the cold shoulder."
After Davis bought the armory, he began to repair the building.
That's when Scottdale's code enforcement officer, the state Department of Environmental Protection, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration began showing up to inspect the work.
Banasick said he was told the complaints the agencies received were anonymous.
Ermine said council believes Davis was in violation of the borough's zoning laws, and that's why they pressed on with the appeal.
"It was nothing personal," he said. "Then it was all over as far as we were concerned."
He admitted council voted in June during executive session to appeal to the county courts.
"We knew (the vote) was illegal," Ermine said. "We talked about it. It was a straw poll."
On July 12, council ratified the vote in public.
Banasick said council has turned a blind eye to code violations committed by council members and their relatives.
He said Davis Monument Co., which is owned by Ermine's family, had received notice that it was in violation of a borough ordinance banning placement of products on sidewalks.
Ermine said he corrected the "minor" violation for displaying headstones on the sidewalk.
"We really haven't done anything wrong," he said.
Banasick said he was threatened with a lawsuit after he asked council members what they intended to do about a potential code violation at the home of former Mayor Patricia Walker.
He received a letter from Walker's attorney demanding a public apology and retraction. He refused.
Then, he said, he questioned council about a possible violation at the home of councilman Andy Pinskey and drew council's ire.
Attorney Karen Kiefer of Scottdale, who represents Banasick, has questioned why only critics of council have had trouble with code or zoning violations.
"There does seem to be selective enforcement," she said.
