COAL TOWNSHIP - Frustrated and sad.
Those were the words Northumberland County Chief Clerk and Assistant Solicitor Kymberley Best used after her attempt to have the commissioners adopt a code of civility failed Tuesday night during a meeting at Shamokin Area Middle/High School.
Best, who filed a complaint with state police last week against Commissioner Vinny Clausi for allegedly threatening her during a public
work session and has reportedly refused to work directly with the outspoken commissioner, recommended the board adopt a code of civility to encourage county employees to conduct themselves more professionally in order to promote effectiveness and strength in county government.
After Best read her proposed code, Commissioner Frank Sawicki made a motion to adopt it, but it died due to a lack of a second from Commissioners Vinny Clausi or Merle Phillips.
Sawicki supported Best's recommendation, but Clausi and Phillips said they were just presented the code at the meeting and needed more time to review it.
"We didn't hear about this resolution until tonight (Tuesday)," Clausi said. "I want our solicitor (Frank Garrigan) to review it first. This is another string they are trying to pull at the last minute."
Phillips said he didn't see anything wrong with adopting a code of civility, but wanted to review it before voting on it.
Prior to presenting her resolution for a code, which covered about 1 1/2 pages, Best said she has encountered problems with the county's administration during her time as chief clerk, solicitor and assistant solicitor. She said the problems, some of which have involved budget constraints and union issues, have caused her stress and created a negative working atmosphere and morale problems among employees. She said a lack of professionalism has deterred the county from attracting and maintaining businesses and more talented employees.
After the meeting, she said, "I'm profoundly frustrated and sad the proposed motion failed. But this is another example of the negativity that exists in county administration."
During the citizens' input portion of the meeting, Kathi Kaleta of Shamokin chastised the commissioners for not supporting a code of civility. "I am appalled that the code failed," she said. "Do you consider yourself above this?"
Kaleta's comments drew a loud applause from the audience.