Resignations shake up Tyrone Borough leadership

Latchford out as borough manager, Poust leaves council seat

TYRONE -- A new member of the Tyrone Borough Council will be appointed by year's end after officials accepted the resignation of councilman Rob Poust at Monday's meeting.

In another shakeup, officials also accepted the resignation of Ardean Latchford, the former borough manager. Borough secretary Kim Gurekovich was appointed by the council to serve as the interim manager during the meeting.

Poust's resignation, effective Sept. 4, was approved unanimously, with council members Sarah Hunter and William Wiser absent from the meeting. Latchford's resignation was also approved by council members David Snyder, Bob Dollar, Ken Patterson and Tammy Wills. Mayor William Latchford, Ardean's brother, abstained from the vote.

According to Gurekovich, an official reading of the council vacancy will be read at the council's next regular meeting, Monday, Oct. 13. Within 10 days of that reading, the vacancy must be posted in a newspaper and letters of intent will be accepted for the position, she said. Within 60 days of that, a new member must be appointed by the council, Gurekovich said.

At 70 days from Oct. 13, a new member would need to be appointed to the council by Monday, Dec. 22.

According to borough ordinance No. 1489, which was approved Monday night to appoint Gurekovich as the borough's interim manager, Gurekovich is to be paid an hourly rate of $43.50 per hour.

The interim manager's salary may be adjusted from "time to time" as the council deems appropriate, the ordinance states, noting the council may remove the position at any time.

Gurekovich, who has worked for the borough for 30 years, has held the role of interim borough manager in her tenure before. While Gurekovich remains the borough's secretary, some of her duties are being delegated to others in the borough's office, she said, noting the borough has a "great team" of people helping each other out.

"It's my pleasure to serve the borough in whatever capacity I can be helpful in," Gurekovich said after the meeting. "We have great employees and I look forward to a continued working relationship with them."

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.