Arnold residents will get an opportunity to comment on last week’s firing of the city’s manager, but they’ll have to wait until next month.

The firing of Mario Bellavia will be on the agenda for council’s regular meeting Oct. 10, Solicitor Jaclyn Shaw said.

But Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, said public comment is rendered meaningless if it comes after a decision has been made.

“The law requires official action to follow public comment, not the other way around,” Melewsky said. “The law requires votes to follow public comment because it recognizes that government functions best when it is aided by an informed and actively involved citizenry. That simply can’t happen if decisions are made behind closed doors, then announced to the public afterward.”

Bellavia is believed to have been fired Sept. 20. City officials have not explained how or when the decision was made.

On Monday evening, after a private meeting with all five council members and the mayor, Shaw said she was unable to offer any further explanation, calling the matter a “personnel issue.”

Bellavia did not return calls for comment Monday or Tuesday.

Mayor Joe Bia II did not respond to a request for comment after the meeting Monday night.

Councilman Adam Zweig offered no comment as he left the private meeting Monday.

Councilwoman Debbie Vernon said, “I can’t say anything about a personnel issue.”

There was no apparent action taken at the closed-door meeting, and officials even disagreed on why the meeting was held.

Councilman Phil McKinley said Bia called the meeting for council to interview interim city clerk candidates. McKinley provided an image of an email Bia sent to council members Thursday.

“We will be having an executive session on Monday 9/25 at 6PM at city hall to interview interim candidates for the City Clerk position,” the email states.

At city hall before the meeting, Councilman George Hawdon said council was not going to be conducting interviews.

Shaw said no interviews were done. No candidates were seen entering city hall in the hour before the meeting.

However, Shaw said, council intends to fill the vacancy.

Bellavia was hired as Arnold’s city clerk in 2018 before being given the title of administrator, or manager, in 2020.

Because the city has not advertised for candidates for Bellavia’s job, McKinley said it appeared to him a majority of council already know who they want to hire.

No reason has been given for Bellavia’s firing, but McKinley thinks he knows what prompted it.

McKinley said Bellavia was fired for disobeying a direct order from Vernon.

But McKinley said that would be improper because Bellavia isn’t answerable to a single member of council, as his contract and Arnold’s city manager ordinance specify that he answers to the majority of council as a whole.

McKinley said his understanding is Bellavia was fired over work that was done collecting sewage bills. This year alone, McKinley said, Bellavia’s efforts have netted $110,000 for the city in delinquent sewage bill collections.

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