Cheswick to again be without a secretary

Cheswick has lost its second borough secretary in little more than a year.

Joseph Puet, 60, of Arnold resigned Tuesday, only two months into his yearlong contract. The borough’s previous secretary, Ian Fitzgerald, was hired in November 2017 and left in October 2018 to take a job with a jump in pay as the secretary/treasurer of Harmar Township.

“I decided, as I’ve gotten older, to work in the private sector,” Puet said Tuesday.

“I left on good terms,” said Puet. “I wish them well.”

Puet said he submitted his resignation Monday to council President Paul Jack and he is not returning to work. With vacation time, his last day is Feb. 1.

Jack confirmed the resignation, adding that the skill set needed for the borough secretary position is different from the skill set Puet came in with.

He added that Puet’s departure was “pretty congenial and mutual.”

Cheswick Mayor Daniel Carroll said Puet’s resignation was “not a good thing. I hate to see someone just getting their toe in the water just leave.”

Jack is not certain the borough will look to fill the post immediately.

He conceded that the job is a “difficult position,” suited for someone with computer skills and who understands municipalities as well as issues related to pensions and accounting.

“It’s a good position for young people with computer skills who want to get into municipal government,” he said. “Ian was there. He took that experience and took it to Harmar.”

The borough’s office manager, Lorraine Zebrine, who filled in between the tenures of longtime borough secretary Andy Bock and Fitzgerald, will step up again with Puet’s departure, according to Jack.

After 37 years in the public sector, most of it spent as treasurer of the city of Arnold, Puet said he will work for Cardaro Funeral Home in New Kensington.

“It’s time to sit back and deal with people’s emotions at a funeral home rather than the financial problems of a municipality,” he said.

Council could take up the issue of the secretary’s position as soon as Thursday, when it will hold a special meeting to hire part-time police officers. That meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the municipal building.

Mary Ann Thomas is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Mary Ann at 724-226-4691, mthomas@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MaThomas_Trib.