By MIKE FAHER
A divided Johnstown City Council on Wednesday fired its legal adviser, appointed a new finance committee leader and instituted a hiring freeze for most city departments.
The shakeup came as controversial Councilman Jack Williams, a consistent critic of City Hall administrators, declared that the city’s elected officials will attempt to take greater control of Johnstown’s expenditures.
“We’re going to take the initiative to try and limit or minimize the city’s deficit,” Williams said after three hours of meetings in council chambers.
The removal of city Solicitor Joseph R. Green was a surprise to many, including Green himself.
In a 5-4 vote, council members hired attorney Nicholas Banda as their new solicitor.
Green had served as solicitor since January 2005, when he took over for his deceased father, Richard J. Green Jr. The elder Green had worked as the city’s attorney for more than a quarter-century.
Green was asked to leave the meeting immediately, and he declined to comment when reached later by phone.
Councilman Bill Neatrour walked out of the meeting after Green’s dismissal, and Councilman Nunzio Johncola called the firing “ridiculous.”
But some officials, including Councilwoman Ann Wilson, said they have been unhappy with Green’s job performance.
Williams said Banda “can provide some valuable assistance,” noting that he is solicitor of Franklin Borough and has experience working with state officials. Franklin, like Johnstown, has been a longtime member of the state’s Act 47 program for financially distressed municipalities.
Changes did not end with the solicitor’s post, as Williams was installed on a 5-2 vote as council’s new finance committee chairman. That came less than two months after Councilman Frank Janakovic had been appointed to that post.
Williams is known for dissecting the city’s budget and, in the process, quarreling with City Manager Curt Davis and Finance Director Mary Lou Johnston.
But Williams contends he has “no intention to fight with Curt or Mary Lou,” while also saying he intends to work with other council members who often oppose his initiatives.
“I’m hopeful that, whatever financial problems we have right now or will have, we can address them together,” he said.
Later in the meeting, all seven remaining council members backed Williams’ proposal to freeze city hiring for the remainder of the year. The fire and police departments, along with police-records positions, are exempt from that order.
Williams said positions in other departments should not be filled “until we make sure we’re on firm financial footing.”
Wednesday’s meeting agenda was filled with Williams’ initiatives, some of which had failed before. It is clear that last month’s appointment of new Councilman Frank Kiefer Jr. has shifted the balance of power on the board, giving Williams a five-vote majority that often had not existed before.
“But that’s not to infer that there’s a lock of five votes (on all issues),” Williams said.
“Because there’s not.”
In other business Wednesday, Mayor Tom Trigona swore in four new city police officers as officials attempt to fill vacancies created by a wave of retirements.
The new officers are Mark Britton, Brad Christ, Scott Conahan and William Slisz.
