Tarentum has 5 candidates for empty council seat

The creator of a Tarentum Facebook group, the executive director of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania and a program coordinator at Tobacco Free Allegheny are among five applicants to fill an empty seat on Tarentum Council.

Letters of interest for the seat vacated by 3rd Ward Councilwoman Rhonda Dzugan were due by Monday. Council is expected to interview the candidates in public at its meeting Thursday, and could vote to make an appointment that night.

Dzugan resigned from the seat representing West Tarentum in January.

Residents who submitted letters of interest are:

• Tiffany A. Babinsack. Babinsack is now the program coordinator at the nonprofit Tobacco Free Allegheny. She says she has been involved in the nonprofit sector for the last eight years and has experience in administrative, legislative and executive functions. She has lived in Tarentum for 12 years.

• Jim Bonner. Bonner says he has lived in Tarentum for more than 25 years. He is currently executive director of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, where he has been for 15 years. He was previously executive director at the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society. He says his wife, Leslie, is a third-generation Tarentum resident, and their home has been in her family since 1964.

• Keith Gohn. Gohn, who has lived in Tarentum since 1995, recently retired from UPMC Shadyside.

• Margret “Maggie” Smith. Smith describes herself as a lifelong borough resident whose experience includes office management and project coordination. She started the Facebook group “Tarentum Neighborhood Watch” after cars belonging to herself and neighbors had been broken into.

• Brian Snyder. Snyder has lived in Tarentum for 16 years. He says his background includes music marketing and development and recreation therapy, and that he has skills in marketing, development and promotion.

Council’s meeting will start at 6 p.m. at the borough building, 318 E. Second Ave.

Whoever is appointed to the council seat will serve through the rest of this year only. The seat will be included in this year’s municipal election; whoever is appointed would have to run in the election to serve the remaining two years on Dzugan’s original four-year term, ending Dec. 31, 2021.

Brian Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BCRittmeyer.