Harrison commissioners accept resignations of 2 zoning, ordinance officials

Harrison commissioners will be considering how to rebuild the township’s zoning and ordinance office after accepting the resignations of two of its three officials.

Commissioners voted 3-0 Thursday to accept the resignations of office supervisor Lindsay Fraser and department coordinator Jody Lamison.

Both will be effective March 1.

Commissioners William Heasley, Robin Bergstrom and Charles Dizard voted to accept the resignations. Commissioners William Poston and Gary Lilly were absent.

At least three of the five commissioners needed to be present for the board to be able to vote.

Fraser and Lamison had announced their intentions to resign in an email to township officials last Friday.

Heasley said both are leaving on “friendly” and “amicable” terms. He said neither will receive a severance package.

Both had received pay raises along with other township officials in December. Fraser’s pay was increased by 3 percent, to $50,752. Lamison, who was part time, had her rate increased 6 percent, to $18 per hour.

Fraser and Lamison’s departures left only deputy Floyd “Bucky” Taraszewski in the zoning and ordinance office.

To staff the office temporarily, commissioners voted to bring back former zoning and ordinance officer Norbert Cieslinski. He’ll be paid $20 per hour on an as-needed basis, Heasley said.

Heasley said the township asked Cieslinski to come back and help in the wake of Fraser and Lamison’s departures, and he agreed.

Township Manager Rich Hill said Cieslinski will be on the job until the township figures out what it needs to do. Heasley said the township could bring in a firm for zoning and ordinance functions on an interim basis but ultimately would hire its own employees to staff the office.

Although effective March 1, Lamison was asked to leave the office Monday, according to Fraser, who was reached after the meeting. Lamison has not responded to a request for comment.

Fraser said she is still working for the township but did not know whether she would work until March 1.

She said she was not prepared to comment on why she resigned.

Fraser confirmed Heasley’s statement that she has agreed to stay on as a consultant and continue to work on some projects, including a multi-municipal comprehensive plan in the works between Harrison, Brackenridge and Tarentum.

“We welcome the input,” he said.

Fraser confirmed Heasley was correct. For the plan, she has been serving as a facilitator and liaison.

“I think it’s really important,” she said. “All three municipalities are generally going in the same direction with some things, such as the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. This plan will help to solidify a lot of those things.”

The three communities working together will open the path to grant funding, she said.

“It’s really important that someone stay involved,” Fraser said.

Brian C. Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, [email protected] or via Twitter .