Latrobe names police chief to take on interim city manager role

Latrobe police Chief Richard Bosco will be overseeing administrative tasks as well as law enforcement since being appointed interim city manager at Tuesday’s council meeting.

It’s similar to multiple duties he handled while employed at Lincoln Borough from 2013 through 2022. In that Allegheny County community he was director of public works, public safety and administration while also serving as police chief.

Bosco agreed to take on the additional responsibility in Latrobe after the previous city manager, Terry Carcella, departed this month to accept a similar role in Springdale Borough.

“I feel privileged that they asked me,” Bosco said of Latrobe council. “I only agreed to it so they have the amount of time so they didn’t have to panic-hire somebody” as the next city manager.”We can take a deep breath, recognize where the city sits now in this transition and find the best qualified candidate to move the city forward in the future.”

Bosco said the city already has received some resumes and letters of interest from people inquiring about the manager position.

“Hopefully, we’re going to have a nice candidate field,” he said. “I’m interested in getting the position filled with the right person.

“I will do my due diligence to the best of my ability (as manager), but my love is being the chef of police, running the police department and protecting the city.”

Council also named public works director Scott Wajdic to the additional post of interim city manager for Latrobe’s stormwater management program.

Wajdic said he’d already been taking on much of the oversight of the program, after working with past code officer Ann Powell when she was named the first head of stormwater management.

“It’s scheduling projects, seeing what needs to be done, planning and working with engineers,” Wajdic said.

No decisions have been made regarding any extra pay Bosco or Wajdic may receive will taking on their additional interim roles.

In addition to Wajdic, Bosco said he’ll be working together with Tim Pisula, who began work as the city fiscal director in March.

As for dividing his time between his new dual roles, Bosco said, “My duties are going to be distributed equally among the needs.”

He said he will rely on other senior officers in the police department’s chain of command — including a captain, a lieutenant and four corporals — to handle “the minutiae of the daily operations” there.

In another personnel move, council shifted longtime community service officer Beth Straka from the city’s AFSCME union bargaining unit to a nonunion management position in the police department. She was granted a salary of $68,000 beginning May 12 and a one-time lump sum payment equal to $1.25 per hour for time worked from the beginning of the year.

“It gives me more freedom to do what I need to do,” Straka said of the shift. “I can work as many hours as I need to get the job done.”

She said she’ll be assisting with the police department’s involvement in upcoming community activities including Mister Rogers Family Days, set for June 2-7, and the Latrobe 4th of July Celebration.

Council also promoted Josh Mayro to permanent zoning and code enforcement officer, scheduled to work for 32 hours or more per week with benefits.