Cloak Resigns Kittanning Borough Council Seat
Kittanning Borough Council President Randy Cloak - as shown after assuming the role of Council President in January 2014 - resigned as Council President and 2nd Ward elected representative yesterday morning.
by Jonathan Weaver
Kittanning Borough Council President Randy Cloak resigned from his council seat effective yesterday afternoon – vacating both the council presidency and as elected 2nd Ward representative.
Cloak, who took one of the two 2nd Ward seats in January 2014, announced his intentions yesterday morning to Borough Secretary Betty Thompson and on his social media page.
“Due to my pending move from the 2nd to the 4th Ward of the Borough of Kittanning, please accept my resignation from Kittanning Borough Council, effective at noon (Tuesday),” Cloak wrote.
Cloak – a registered Independent - announced his write-in candidacy about two years ago (a few weeks before the May Primary) citing frustration with the dysfunctional operation of Kittanning Borough Council under the leadership of then-Council President Chris Schiano.
He made the decision following an April 1 meeting in which Schiano was confused upon Robert’s Rules of Order after a vote to appoint a new Borough police chief in lieu of Ed Cassessee’s retirement
Cloak also previously served as a member and Vice President of Kittanning Borough Council from 1998 – 2000.
Calls for further comment from Cloak were not returned yesterday.
While Cloak is on the way off the ballot, Schiano is back on it – and is the only candidate to fill current councilwoman Joie Pryde’s seat this January.
Additional interested candidates can send a letter of interest to the borough building.
Councilman David Croyle – who has represented the 1st Ward since his election in November 2013 – started off by wishing Cloak well after hearing the news of Cloak’s resignation.
Croyle called Cloak “very intelligent and capable of leadership,” even though both disagreed on council matters. Croyle said disagreements were mostly based on the ‘when, where and how’ of moving forward and Cloak ‘shooting from the hip’ with ideas rather than allowing elected officials time to think over the proposal.
“It takes time – you can move it forward, but it just takes time to adequately do the job correctly,” Croyle said. “The one thing I learned from serving on Kittanning Borough is that you’re faced with decisions that sometimes take a couple weeks to digest, to understand what it’s going to do (and) to talk to people how they feel about it.”
An example can be taken from last week’s regular meeting, when Cloak proposed a plan to have Armstrong School District board directors consider turning over the current local schools that will be vacated in June to the municipality to allow for possible implementation of condominium-style housing utilizing grant funds.
“No one was saying ‘no’ – they wanted time to debate, time to look into it,” Croyle added.
Croyle committed to being ‘actively involved’ in Borough Council moving forward, but would endorse other council members to assume the leadership role because of his candidacy for Armstrong County commissioner.
Council Vice-President Andy Peters will assume the duties of council president until reorganization.
Cloak’s resignation must first be accepted by a majority of council members during a public meeting within the next 45 days – or two regularly-scheduled public meetings – unless it is withdrawn.
Other council members were also reportedly caught off-guard with the announcement Tuesday morning, although no returned calls were made before press.
Cloak, a social studies teacher at West Shamokin Jr. – Sr. High School in Rural Valley, is a Kittanning Senior High graduate and also used to be treasurer of the Armstrong County Republican Committee.
According to the state Borough Code, current council members shall fill Cloak’s vacancy within 30 days by appointing a registered elector of the 2nd Ward to hold the office until the first Monday in January.
This is not the first time Cloak has resigned political positions. In 2000, Cloak resigned his Kittanning Council seat when he moved to East Franklin Township. On January 20, 2010, he resigned as Treasurer of the Armstrong County Republican Committee over internal disagreements. Later, he changed his registration to independent, leaving the Republican party.
Last week, Borough Council coincidentally also approved of a vacancy chair. The vacancy board, chaired by Kenneth Nelson, would be charged with filling Cloak’s vacancy if another 2nd Ward resident is not selected.
Cloak led Kittanning Borough Council through many controversial issues during the last year-and-a-half, including the receipt of state grants and loans to help with street repairs, Phase 1 of the Downtown Kittanning Revitalization Project along Market Street and the elimination of the per capita tax assessed to all current residents.
Kittanning Borough | jweaver April 15, 2015
By walrus, April 15, 2015 @ 11:37 AM
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
By unclbuck, April 15, 2015 @ 8:36 PM
I BECAME A FOLLOWER OF YOURS WHEN YOU RESIGNED FROM TREASURE, AND ALSO WHEN YOU LEFT THE REPBLICAN PARTY TO BECOME AN INDEPENDENT. PLEASE RUN AGAIN, MAYBE FOR COM. GOOD PEOPLE ARE HARD TO FIND.
By Rat_Smeller, April 16, 2015 @ 8:55 AM
I don’t know. It seems like this guy quits every elected office he seeks. I know that this time there are extenuating circumstances but you can’t ignore is record for finishing what he starts.
By jorn jensen, April 16, 2015 @ 9:49 AM
A “FOLLOWER”?
By blutoblutarsky, April 17, 2015 @ 12:09 PM
jensen questioning someone else saying they’re a follower- priceless lol