Cheswick Council president to step down

Cheswick Council President Paul Jack said Thursday he is resigning to give someone else a chance to serve.

“I’ve completed everything I wanted to complete. If I leave now, they can put someone in there who can be in office for a better part of a year and decide if they want to run in May (2021),” said Jack, 71.

Jack, who has 1½ years remaining on his second four-year term on the council, sent his letter of resignation to the borough Wednesday. It is effective June 1.

Jack said he thinks residents might be more apt to apply for an appointment to council rather than running for a seat.

“Finishing out my term will be a training ground,” Jack said.

Jack said he has accomplished what he set out to do on the council. He said the borough was plagued with financial problems when he took office in 2014. The borough did not make the required pension-fund contributions in 2013 and 2014, creating financial havoc and causing the borough to borrow $350,000 to make things right.

“The office was hundreds of thousands of dollars behind in collecting money and paying money, with bills backed up for nine months,” Jack said.

He credited Borough Secretary Lorraine Zebrine with organizing the accounting system and other financial work.

“We were able to get the accounting system together, and the bills were paid up. Financially, we are solid,” Jack said.

Jack said his work helping to solve the financial and other issues was rewarding.

“I don’t want to run things,” he said. “I was content fixing problems.”

Paul is a junior varsity basketball coach at Shady Side Academy, an assistant golf coach in Deer Lakes School District and treasurer of the Cheswick Volunteer Fire Department.