SHENANDOAH - After seven months without a police chief, Shenandoah Borough Council voted to hire borough police Capt. George Carado for the position during Wednesday's meeting.
The position has been vacant since July 15, 2012, when the resignation of police Chief Joseph Hall became effective. Last June, Hall tendered his letter of resignation, thanking borough council and then-Mayor Michael Whitecavage for the opportunity to serve as police chief. At that June meeting, Councilman Andrew Szczyglak, who is now mayor, said Hall resigned due to his acceptance by the Pennsylvania State Police Academy to train as a state trooper. Since July, Carado has served as the "officer in charge."
At Wednesday's meeting, council President Leo Pietkiewicz asked for nominations for the position, with council Vice President Brian Conroy nominating Carado, with Councilwoman Rosanne C. Mychak providing the second. Councilman Robert Kulpowicz nominated Gerard M. Gallagher, with Councilman Robert Shortt making the second.
The vote was 5-2 in favor of Carado, with Pietkiewicz, Conroy, Mychak, Paul Holland and Raymond Nestor voting for him. Kulpowicz and Shortt voted for Gallagher.
During the "question," which is the time for council members to ask questions or comment on a motion, Kulpowicz said, "The people of Shenandoah deserve an officer with experience and knowledge, and I'm not sure at this time this is the right person for the job. That's my personal opinion."
"I'd like to congratulate George on his new position as a full-time chief," Pietkiewicz said.
After the meeting, Kulpowicz said he favored Gallagher due to his experience working in law enforcement for many years in New York City.
"It's on-the-job training that they (the council) want to do," Kulpowicz said. "George is a good officer but he has no administrative experience. He needs training to be a criminal investigator, which costs money. Gallagher has all the talent that was necessary. He's been in law enforcement with the state police and has been in New York where he was a pretty high administrator. He's working for the Port Authority (of New York and New Jersey) right now."
Szczyglak said after the meeting that Carado was a good choice as police chief.
"I've had the opportunity to work with Mr. Carado for the last several months as officer in charge. I'll say that George is a hard worker. I think he's willing to work. We had some very good resumes. We received 15, and we then chose four candidates, and council chose George."
At the beginning of the meeting, borough solicitor Michael O'Pake reported that borough council held a 20-minute executive session for personnel matters before the regular session began.
During the public portion, Shenandoah Community Watch President Gordon Slater said police Officer Kirk Kirkland attended the March community watch meeting and discussed law enforcement matters with the group. The next meeting is 6 p.m. Apr. 17 in borough hall.
Slater said Aug. 10 is set as the Kids Fun Day at Bicentennial Park. He said the organization welcomes suggestions from the community about making the event even better.
Borough resident Annie Morrisey requested that when the next free borough calendar is released, the regularly scheduled meeting of the Shenandoah Valley Board of Education should be included. The borough releases the calendar in late December or early January and contains information such as borough meetings and those of organizations who submit the information, trash and recycling schedules and events. In the fall, borough Manager Joseph Palubinsky announces that calendar information is being solicited. Morrisey said it would be a convenient way for the public to know when school board meetings are being held if residents would be interested in attending them.