Southwest Greensburg Council member resigns after allegedly using racial slur

Several members of the Southwest Greensburg community showed their frustration Wednesday during a borough council meeting that followed an incident last month where a council member allegedly directed a racial slur at another man during an investigation about a dog fight.

The council member, David Thomas, submitted his resignation after two years on council, which the board accepted unanimously. He was not present at the meeting.

“Something should be resolved other than him just being mad and being disrespectful to people, colored people,” said Levi Kinney, 24, who attended the meeting.

Kinney was the owner of a pit bull that attacked Thomas’ dog April 6 along Oakland Street, leaving Thomas’ dog with a few “light puncture marks,” officers said. After police arrived, the situation turned heated when officers said they heard Thomas direct racial slurs toward Kinney several times, according to the report.

“I heard him say a racial slur even when he was across the street talking to the cops,” Kinney said earlier this month. “That was rude.”

An addition was made to the police report weeks after the incident, police Chief Chris Kent said, when Thomas and council President Jeff Tabita came to the station. They questioned him about why Thomas’ use of the slur was mentioned in the police report. The council members inquired about where police reports are stored and if that one would always be on file.

“Tabita and Thomas both stated numerous times that they were not asking me to change (the) report, but they were concerned with where the report would go,” Kent wrote in a supplemental narrative.

Lisa Roberts, 41, of Greensburg said when she heard of the incident, she tracked Kinney down because she wanted him to stand up for himself.

“I wanted him to know that what’s going on, it’s not OK, and I want him to fight for his rights,” she said. “You should never be called a name like that, and it’s just not OK.”

Borough Solicitor Gary Falatovich said the incident was unacceptable but noted it did not occur on borough property or in Thomas’ authority as a councilman.

“What you’re absolutely saying is accurate … about racism,” he said. “I understand that. I grew up in Westmoreland County; I’m aware of it. The comments that were made by what is now former Councilman Thomas took everybody here by surprise. It was a shock. They were totally uncalled for. I cannot say enough about how inappropriate they actually were.”

He noted other issues are starting to arise from the report, adding they would be addressed in executive sessions during upcoming meetings.

Falatovich said he hopes conversations surrounding the incident will stop similar events from happening in the future.

Kinney and Roberts hope other council members who feel similarly to Thomas will submit their resignations.

“I would hope that the people who feel this is OK step down, like the councilman who said those words stepped down,” Roberts said. “He did the right thing. I feel that you can’t take care of your community if there’s only a certain population of that community that you care about.”

Court action has not been taken against Thomas. Kinney was cited for not having a license for the pit bull and not having it on a leash.

Moving forward, council will work to fill the vacancy on the board. On Wednesday, they voted unanimously to advertise for the position.