Jeannette seeking applicants for vacant council seat

Jeannette is accepting letters of interest and resumes for an open seat on council after the May 13 death of Councilman Ron Smith.

Submissions will be accepted until 4 p.m. June 3. Applicants must be at least 18 and a resident of the city for the past year.

Council must select someone to fill Smith’s remaining term by June 12 and the group could consider applicants at its June 9 meeting. The term runs until Dec. 31, 2023.

If the seat is not filled by a council vote, a county judge could appoint someone to the vacancy.

Letters and resumes can be dropped off at city hall, 110 S. Second Street, or emailed to city clerk Benjamin Walker at bwalker@cityofjnt.com.

Smith, a longtime high school football coach, died after a battle with cancer at age 76. He had been participating in council voting meetings by phone. A Democrat, Smith was appointed to a vacant council seat in December 2014 then ran the following year for a full term. He won a second term in 2019 and was in charge of overseeing the public works department.

He coached high school football and other sports at Greensburg Central Catholic and Penn-Trafford, where he also taught physical education and social science. He served as coach at several other high schools in the area and Carnegie Mellon University.

He retired in 2007 after 38 years of coaching.