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Wyoming Borough Council Votes Not to Suspend Borough Manager

WYOMING — Wyoming borough council voted Monday night by a 4-2 margin not to suspend its borough manager. The move comes on the first council meeting, thre...

WYOMING -- Wyoming borough council voted Monday night by a 4-2 margin not to suspend its borough manager.

The move comes on the first council meeting, three weeks after state police raided the private offices of borough manager Tamra Smith.

The Wyoming borough manager was not at the meeting. The council president said she told him she was too sick to attend.

About 60 people packed the borough council meeting. The impatient tried to clap council out of executive session after the mayor was booted from the closed-door meeting.

Mayor Joseph Dominick wanted Smith to be suspended without pay.

When council members finally returned after nearly two hours behind closed doors, people spoke.

"It would seem to me that it's common sense that you would not let someone who is being investigated for financial misconduct to continue to manage your finances," said Jeremy Nelson of Wyoming.

Here's why so many are angry. State police raided Smith's office three weeks ago as part of a criminal investigation.

Court papers show investigators were looking for evidence of theft by deception and forgery at the Wyoming Library and Wyoming Hose Company Number 1. Smith used to serve as treasurer or acting treasurer of these organizations.

But despite calls for Smith's suspension without pay, council members voted 4-2 not to place the borough manager on administrative leave.

"It's really a shame to see that it's public funding and anything that anybody is involved with public funding, they have to be held accountable," said Mike Baloga, borough council.

Despite the vote against suspending the borough manager, one council member says some votes are likely to change if the criminal investigation leads to an arrest.

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