Tarentum fills vacant council seat

Tarentum Council appointed Erika Josefoski to fill its vacant seat Monday.

“I'm very happy that I was appointed,” Josefoski said. “I'm happy that I have the support of the council.”

Josefoski, 30, and Sandra Collins, 56, were the two applicants. Both were interviewed by council in public Monday night.

“This is a good start for her to get her feet wet,” said Council President Tim Firko.

Josefoski will remain in this seat until the end of the year, but is also running for election in November.

In the May primary, she won the Democratic nomination for the 1st Ward, four-year seat with 80 percent of the vote. She received enough write-in votes to be on the Democratic ballot for the two-year seat.

“She'll more than likely be on council next year,” Firko said.

Josefoski is looking forward to putting her ideas into motion on council.

Topping her list of things to do is developing a beautification project for the borough.

“I want to prioritize all of the commercial buildings and the residential, too, to see what we can do to tighten up on some ordinances and make sure we are taking care of our property,” she said.

She hopes to bring more businesses to the borough and believes the beautification plan will help do that.

“Businesses will want to open up shop in a more attractive town,” she said.

Collins said she is happy Josefoski was selected.

“I was glad when Erika won the 1st Ward primary in the May election, and I was pleased to see that she was the other applicant,” she said. “I wish her all the best.”

Although neither applicant had political experience, Firko said both gave good answers and shared the same vision for the borough as council.

“We just thought it was prudent to include her because she'll be here in the long run,” Firko said.

Emily Balser is a staff writer for Trib Total Media.