MONESSEN – One of the better lines in the Quentin Tarantino movie “Pulp Fiction” spoken by Harvey Keitel’s character, The Wolf, goes this way: Speaking to Raquel, daughter of the owner of Monster Joe’s Truck & Tow, Keitel says, “Just because you are a character doesn’t mean you have character.” Those who know Larry Vitale definitely consider him to be a real character. And why not? Vitale has always lived his life to the beat of a different drum and never minced words when saying what was on his mind. Vitale, 56, of Monessen, has served as the city’s code enforcement officer for 19 years. And this year, he added another hat – that of owner of a tavern, the Steel City Grille on Schoonmaker Avenue in Monessen. “I always wanted to own a bar,” said Vitale. Why? “I like to drink a lot,” he cracked. “I like people and I enjoy the camaraderie that goes along with being in a bar.” Seeing the re-opening of Steel City Grille was a two-year adventure for Vitale. “It took a long time, but it was worth it,” he said of the realization of his dream. “We opened in August and, really, it’s been better than I ever expected.” Vitale says he spends at least five hours per day at the bar all the while working his full-time job with the city. “Hey, I have to supplement my retirement somehow, right?” he asked with a laugh. His wife, Sharon, works in the kitchen at Steel City and her tasty creations have more than added to the success of the tavern. Also involved in the operation of the tavern is Luanne Tretter. “She does a heck of a job, but the bad thing about her being there is that she can check on me,” Vitale said of his wife, his tongue firmly implanted in his cheek. Vitale and his wife have been married for 36 years, although he cracked, “The first 35 years I was on a vacation, so really we’re newlyweds.” When asked to comment on the best aspect about his job with the city, Vitale quickly said, “Nothing!,” before offering a hearty laugh. “There’s a lot of work that goes on there,” he said. His responsibilities include house and building inspections, planning and zoning, rehabilitations, issuing citations and health inspections … “And don’t forget handling everybody’s complaints,” he added. “Lord knows there are enough of those.” Recently, the city gave him another employee to help with the work load. “After five years of doing the work of three people, I finally got one person to help out,” he laughed. “I guess one is better than none.” Asked if there was one thing he would change about his job if he could, Vitale said he would eliminate the politics involved. “There’s just too much politics,” he said, shaking his head. “To me, everybody should be equal. There is no one person better than another. “Politicians in this city are like a python, squeezing the air out of their prey. “I think politicians should make policy, not administrate it. That’s why they have administrators.”

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