Avalon Council features a mix of old and new members in 2010. Sworn in last Monday were, pictured above from left, newly-elected council members Jonathan Bernstein and Tom Lloyd Jr., Ralph Cortese (elected after being appointed to a vacant council seat), David Dixon (elected on write-in votes), re-elected incumbent Ed Repp, Mayor David Haslett (who was re-elected), and tax collector Ed Klicker (who left council for the new office). Photo by Connie Rankin for The Citizen

Three new members were sworn in to seats on Avalon Council last Monday evening, including one who was just recently named the winner of a council seat by what was probably the lowest number of votes ever.

While Jonathan Bernstein and Thomas Lloyd Jr. were on the November ballot along with incumbents Ed Repp and Ralph Cortese, David Dixon was declared the winner of a council seat for which there were no candidates on the ballot. Dixon received four write-in votes, which was enough to beat out incumbent Albert Wurst, who received only three.

All five council members were sworn in by re-elected Mayor David Haslett. Also taking the oath of office was former council president Ed Klicker, who was elected tax collector for the borough.

Repp, who has served as vice president of council for a number of years, was unanimously elected president.

Patrick Narcisi was named vice president after a motion to elect Vicki Donnelly to the position failed in a 6-3 vote, with only Donnelly, Cortese and Dixon in favor. Those three abstained from the vote that elected Narcisi to the seat.

Council approved a number of standard motions making various appointments, running into a snag only when Dixon refused to make a motion appointing former council member Tom Michalow to the borough’s vacancy board. Dixon said that he did not have enough information about the appointment to make the motion.

A motion to increase council members’ salaries was defeated in a 5-4 vote. Donnelly proposed that council members receive a 10 percent increase, which would take their monthly salaries to about $189. They currently are paid $172 per month.

Voting in favor of the increase were Donnelly, Cortese, Dan Sefick and Robert Powell. Opposed were Bernstein, Dixon, Lloyd, Narcisi and Repp.

Repp announced the committees for the coming year.

Powell will take over as chair of finance, which will include Narcisi and Cortese.

Cortese will chair parks, with members Sefick and Bernstein.

Lloyd will chair the streets committee of Donnelly and Sefick.

Narcisi will continue to head the safety committee, which will include Lloyd and Donnelly.

The corporations and planning committee will be comprised of Dixon and Powell, and be chaired by Bernstein.

Sefick will head the property committee, with Lloyd and Narcisi.

The interborough relations committee chaired by Donnelly will include Cortese and Dixon.

Dixon was named head of the health committee, with members Powell and Bernstein.

Avalon's representative to the Allegheny County Boroughs Association will be Donnelly.

Narcisi and Powell will serve on the ethics committee.

Cortese will serve on the library committee.

The Northgate/youth committee is made up of Sefick and Donnelly.

Powell and Lloyd will serve on the personnel committee.

The police pension committee is comprised of Narcisi and Lloyd.

Donnelly will serve on the arts committee.

The Fourth of July committee is made up of Klicker and Bernstein.

Borough manager Harry Dilmore and Bernstein will serve on the wet weather committee.