Greensburg denies age discrimination in response to lawsuits

Greensburg officials said two former city employees were dismissed because of job performance, not their age, according to court filings in age discrimination lawsuits.

Barbara Ciampini, 58, and Frank Lehman, 59, who respectively worked as planning director and recreation director, filed their federal lawsuits in October. The city finally filed its official response —marking the first time the city publicly detailed its reasons for firing Ciampini and asking Lehman to retire.

They both lost their jobs in February. In their lawsuits, they say they were forced out because of their age and replaced by younger workers.

Attorney Nicholas Kennedy, who represents Ciampini and Lehman, declined to comment.

The city said Ciampini was fired because of complaints from numerous residents, developers and business owners.

Ciampini insisted developers submit architectural drawings for all residential projects, even when city code didn’t require it, the city’s response said.

“(Ciampini’s) continued imposition of such requirements was a longstanding issue, and viewed as thwarting business development and residential improvements while alienating members of the business and residential community,” an attorney representing the city said in court papers.

The response also alleges Ciampini threatened to shut down an unidentified business that questioned a citation.

In its response to Lehman’s lawsuit, the city said officials were concerned about his job performance since 2014, when he was reprimanded for poorly managing his staff, failing to monitor city playgrounds and doing crosswords and word searches while working.

The city urged Lehman for years to expand recreation programs, according to the response. Last year, the city changed Lehman’s title from recreation superintendent to program manager. During that time, he created a kickball league, started a badminton program that failed due to lack of interest and proposed a basketball camp and disc golf course.

The city replaced Ciampini with Jeffrey Raykes, 50, former deputy director of the Indiana County Office of Planning and Development.

Lehman was replaced by Lydia Kinkaid, 27, former director at Pittsburgh CitiParks’ Brookline Recreation Center.

City officials said both were hired because of their qualifications, not their age.

The city also responded to claims in both lawsuits that it engaged in a pattern of replacing older employees with younger ones.

In 2016, Mayor Robert Bell planned to demote then-police Chief Walter Lyons, 68, to lieutenant because of low morale in the department, causing Lyons to resign, according to the city’s response. Lyon’s replacement, Chad Zucco, 47, was then a captain, the highest-ranking officer in the department and the obvious choice to replace Lyons, the city said.

City Administrator Sue Trout, 54, resigned last year to take a job in the private sector. She was replaced by Kelsye Milliron, 29. Milliron was Trout’s choice of replacement and had worked four years as Greensburg’s fiscal director, the city said.

Court-mandated alternative dispute resolution will begin within about 90 days, according to Brian Gabriel, the attorney representing the city. If both sides fail to reach a compromise, there likely will be a status conference in about six months to establish new deadlines and the path to eventual court hearings.