Trafford's newest council members eager to get to work
Trafford's two newest council members have both lived in the borough for seven years, and they're both interested in helping the borough realize goals in its long term comprehensive plan.
Trafford council unanimously appointed Vicki Megon and John Daykon last week.
Megon replaces Dennis Beene. Daykon replaces Stephanie Bortoluzzi.
Megon -- who is married to Corey Megon and mother to 15-year-old Cassidy -- grew up in the Greensburg area and graduated from Hempfield High School. After graduating, she worked as a manufacturer's representative selling products to pharmacies and department stores. From there, she found herself working for a property manager.
"I always tell people: no one grows up wanting to be a property manager," she said.
Still, she had success in that field. She managed one apartment property for 11 years before being promoted to a regional manager position which made her responsible for 14 properties. She said that experience prepared her for work as a councilwoman.
"I handled 14 budgets per year, and managed contractors and subcontractors. We built three new buildings from paper to finish, and that experience should help me assist the borough with its comprehensive plan."
Megon said she's not quite sure what her official duties with the borough will be yet, but she said she's excited to get involved with planning as well as community development and recreation.
Currently, Megon is a senior asset manager for Pennsylvania Multifamily Asset Managers, a company that works with landlords who receive subsidies for housing. She said her day job involves visiting properties to make sure landlords are maintaining them to subsidized housing standards and charging mandated rents.
Megon said Trafford borough council is her first foray into politics, and while she doesn't yet have a list of things she hopes to get done with the borough, she said getting a handle on her responsibilities is priority enough for now.
The other newbie
Daykon, 33, grew up in Pitcairn. He and his wife, Melissa, have a 4-month-old son, Dominick. He graduated from Gateway High School in 1995 and earned a degree in electrical engineering in 1999 from Penn State University, New Kensington campus in Upper Burrell. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a master's degree in business administration in 2003 and teaches as an adjunct statistics professor at Penn State New Kensington. He works as a project manager with Ariba.
"(At Ariba), we work with a lot of Fortune 500 clients on saving money and managing budgets," he said. "We help to consolidate services and cut costs. I know some of their businesses better than they do. I think that will help me work with the borough."
Daykon was president of the Shadow Wood Community Homeowners Association in Trafford, and his responsibilities put him in contact with borough officials. He recalled a time when the borough renumbered addresses, and he received complaints from residents who were unhappy with the process.
"That put me in contact with a few of the people on council," he said. Daykon said he's worked on projects associated with North Shore redevelopment in Pittsburgh and waterfront development in Homestead. He said working in those areas he became comfortable with complex codes and diverse personalities.
"I know in Trafford they're talking about revitalization and there are some areas -- particularly involving building codes -- that I know pretty well," he said. "I dealt with City of Pittsburgh codes for two years. Nothing can compare with the City of Pittsburgh."
He said he's been asked to consider redesigning the borough website, which had been maintained by Bortoluzzi.
Daykon's and Megon's terms expire at the end of 2011, so if they choose to stay in office, their appointments should give them an opportunity to make their opinions and goals heard, Councilman Frank Bruno said.
Four people had applied for the vacant council seats.
Candidates were required to submit letters of intent that outlined their qualifications and goals for the borough.
"All four candidates were qualified," Bruno said. "It's a sign of good things to come that people who don't belong on the board can't just walk on."
Bruno said his decision had nothing to do with credentials, in general, but with replacing the credentials of the people who left the board.
He said he expects Daykon to help with "general government" issues.
"For an administrative kind of role, this guy's got everything you could possibly want," Bruno said. "He's the kind of guy who goes out to look for better insurance quotes, and it's sort of the glue that holds the other departments together."
Megon, he said, is familiar with state and federal code.
"One of community development's biggest roles is to make suggestions for the code and our comprehensive plan," Bruno said. "She's perfect for that."
Daykon and Megon said they're excited to help the community.
"I'm excited to get to work," Megon said.
Daykon agreed.
"The one thing I've learned is that you're going to make decisions, and they may not be popular," Daykon said. "But you have to do what you think is going to be in the best interest of everybody."
