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Texts cause stir

Duncansville council President pleads for bickering to stop

DUNCANSVILLE — Post-primary text messages sent by a part-time borough police officer to the former mayor have ignited a controversy and an appeal from council President Cynthia Blontz for the bickering to stop.

“I’m sorry it even happened,” Blontz said at Monday night’s council meeting in reference to the officer’s text messages, which Blontz said were “poorly handled” by council and by solicitor Michael Emerick.

But it’s time, Blontz told fellow council members and those attending the meeting, to speak on the subject and to end the bickering.

The controversy developed after officer David Rosamilia sent a series of text messages the day after the May 16 primary to Ken Davis II, who was borough mayor until the January 2016 swearing in of successor Dale Shaw. Davis lost the 2015 Republican primary to Shaw by a 2-to-1 margin.

In his text messages, Rosamilia referenced Davis’ failure to win re-election and Davis’ support, in the May primary, for Sam McClure, a Republican candidate for sheriff who lost to Jim Ott, the borough’s police chief.

“Just wanted to say that I’m glad you and your wife are gone,” Rosamilia wrote in a text message to Davis whose wife, Charlene, was borough secretary until her retirement. “The more you try to take a stand, the more him and I win because of the type of people you and your family are.”

Rosamilia also suggested that Davis and his family, including daughter, April Cramer, who is a current council member, vacation and find a house down south.

After Monday night’s council meeting where borough residents offered supportive comments for Rosamilia’s work as a police officer, Rosamilia said he had no regrets about sending the messages to the former mayor.”He’s been violating the police department rights for years and done things to put the department down,” Rosamilia said. “I sent those texts just to say Jim won the election.”

Davis, who supervised the police department as mayor, said Rosamilia is wrong.

“I supported the police department all the time, him included,” Davis said after Monday night’s meeting “But even if (Rosamilia) doesn’t think that, what was his point in sending those messages? I’ve been out of office for a year and a half. It makes me wonder if he’s sending messages like that to other people and if they’re afraid to come forward.”

Ott said after the meeting that he met with Rosamilia and discussed the text messages, which the officer signed as “LIEUTENANT ROSAMILIA.”

“Afterwards, I made a recommendation to the personnel committee, but they went their own route,” Ott said.

That route surfaced at Monday’s council meeting where references were made to a mid-May hearing for Rosamilia, which concluded when the officer rendered a resignation letter to avoid suspension.

Meeting minutes detailing council’s June 28 actions indicate that Rosamilia’s resignation letter was presented and that the four council members present — Blontz, Jeanette Mills, Jeffrey Wolfe and David Shaw — voted in favor of acceptance.

But subsequently, Blontz and Mills offered a motion and a second to rehire Rosamilia. When Wolf and David Shaw cast votes against the rehiring, Mayor Dale Shaw offered a tie-breaking vote that restored Rosamilia’s status as a part-time officer.

Councilman David Shaw and Mayor Dale Shaw are not related.

Meeting minutes indicate that when David Shaw questioned the legality of the rehiring, Mayor Dale Shaw offered his assurance that the action taken was legal, based on his having consulted attorneys other than Emerick.

Mayor Dale Shaw criticized Emerick for failing to exclude Cramer, in her role as a council member, from the mid-May hearing.

Mills took a similar stance at Monday night’s meeting where she told Emerick that Cramer should not have been allowed to support a suspension for Rosamilia.

Emerick said he found no conflict of interest based on what occurred at that proceeding.

“We’re talking about removing a council member from a vote,” Emerick said. “This did not fall under a conflict of interest … and I haven’t seen anything to conclude that my opinion is wrong.”

Emerick said he might have taken a different position if the hearing had led to testimony that would have put Cramer in a position to judge credibility, but he said that didn’t happen.

Mayor Shaw also criticized Emerick for allowing Ken Davis to attend a meeting Cramer set up with Emerick to show him the text messages.

Emerick said it’s not unusual for him to meet with council members about a borough issue. In this case, Emerick said, her father came along.

“You should have excused Ken Davis,” Mayor Shaw told Emerick.

Emerick said he took the information presented and relayed it to other borough leaders.

“I didn’t give any legal advice to the Davises and they didn’t ask for any,” Emerick said.

Borough resident Jon Lykens was among those speaking in support of Rosamilia’s police work, which includes Taser instruction, criminal investigations and emergency responses.

“He’s the type of officer we want to protect and serve our community,” Lykens said.

Fellow officer Bill Rhodes Jr., a resident of Allegheny Township, said he read the text messages and didn’t see any laws broken by what Rosamilia wrote.

“As an employee, where do you give up your freedom of speech?” Rhodes asked.

Council members David Shaw and Wolfe offered comments at Monday night’s meeting in support of their positions.

“I thought it was wrong, and I voted accordingly,” Wolfe said.

“I can’t believe a police officer sent out a text like that,” Dave Shaw said.

Davis also addressed council at Monday’s night meeting, reminding them that they must take responsibility for their actions and live with the results.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 946-7456.

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