Aspinwall Councilman David Brown draws fire from council colleagues for claims made on his election website

Aspinwall Councilman David Brown has lost the trust of his elected colleagues and might be taken off various committees in response to content he posted on a website for his mayoral campaign.

“There’s an enormous breach of trust,” council President Tim McLaughlin said at council’s Sept. 8 meeting. “If we can’t communicate with each other in a way to better move this community forward with the fear that what I’m saying is going to be hanging over my head, that’s no way to operate a business. No way to operate a government or a personal relationship. Frankly, Mr. Brown violated that (trust) to every single person sitting up here.”

The website in question is davidforaspinwall.com.

On the website, Brown outlines what he called unlawful oversight of the police department in 2019 by Mayor Joseph Noro.

Brown said he wanted council to have the ability to meet with police officers privately without Noro being present.

Noro allegedly threatened to sue the borough over the issue, according to the website.

Brown posted correspondence between him, Noro and other borough officials from July 2019.

Brown said after the meeting that he posted the messages as “evidence” to back his position about the police department not being run with utmost transparency at the time.

He also posted messages from Solicitor Stephen Korbel about the public safety committee, an act that some on council claim violates attorney/client privilege.

Those messages can be found under the website’s section called “The Ongoing Fight for Transparency.”

Councilwoman Lara Voytko said a lot of what was posted on the website was discussed in executive session and should not have been made public.

“We are all here to benefit the community, we thought,” Voytko said. “Individual conversations, in my opinion now that it’s out there, should not be used to weaponize against other members that are trying to do the same thing for the community. I do not feel comfortable with him being on any committees. I cannot trust him to be working on behalf of the borough, and I don’t think he should be on any of the three committees that he’s on.”

Brown is listed as a member of the public safety, finance and budget, and the planning and zoning committees, as well as the chairman of the environmental services committee.

McLaughlin sets committee members and could remove Brown from any and all if he so chooses.

Council adjourned its meeting to an executive session prior to taking such actions.

Brown reacts

Brown denied the allegation of using executive session content and said he is not concerned about being taken off any committees.

“I owe a greater trust to the people of Aspinwall,” Brown said. “Two years ago, the mayor did something that I thought was very bad for good government. He unlawfully shut down council’s minimal exercises to have some kind of oversight over the police department.

“The mayor is legally in charge of the police. There’s no argument with that. The residents of Aspinwall know nothing about this because it was all conducted behind closed doors.”

Brown left council chambers as the discussion about his website and actions was getting underway, with resident Michael Troyan bringing up the issue.

“This is a government meeting,” Brown said before departing. “This is not a political meeting, and this subject should not be discussed in a government meeting.”

Troyan argued the content should be discussed at the council meeting because it could fall under solicitation and political canvassing listed on the agenda under the borough manager’s report.

“If there’s an issue with the police department, why isn’t it brought forth to public knowledge?” Troyan asked. “Whether it’s a political thing or not, I don’t think badmouthing the job of someone, especially if he’s doing an excellent job, is a way to go about it.”

Troyan praised the police department. He said Brown was trying to further his own agenda and not working for the betterment of the borough.

Resident Patti McCaffrey, vice chair of the Aspinwall Democratic Committee, said Brown leaving the meeting and not facing his critics showed a lack of leadership.

“I don’t think he had the community in mind,” McCaffrey said. “He wants to squash all the public comments.”

Brown said he also left because of a “pre-meeting conspiracy” to engage in a “hit job” and did not want to sit through it.

Brown will face Noro, the Republican incumbent, in November’s general election.

Noro did not speak about the website or even mention Brown by name during the meeting.

He did compliment the police department and said borough officials are kept up t0 date on all department activities.

“Council can have any information,” he said. “We’re an open book. There’s nothing off limits other than if it’s a human resource situation. I’ve worked really well with each and every one of you on this council (table) right now.”