‘In the Dark’: Pittsburgh council tears up Gainey’s office over secret deal with Sirotto

Pittsburgh City Council members were furious Tuesday to learn that three top aides to Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey knew about a secret deal to allow Police Chief Larry Schiroto to return to officiating college basketball after a year on the job but said nothing.

Chief last week announced his resignation among controversy over his return to refereeing Big Ten basketball games are a side hustle he vowed to give up while he was in charge.

The board confirmed Sirotto as chief in May 2023 “with the express understanding that he would not be in charge of college basketball,” said Board Member Erica Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill.

However, Jake Pawlak, director of the Office of Management and Budget, Chief Operating and Administrative Officer Lisa Frank and Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt admitted during a tense council meeting that they were aware of the deal the mayor made with Scirotto to allow him to start refereeing. again a year later.

Councilman Anthony Coghill, a Beechview Democrat, played a video clip of Sirotto’s interview with the council last year before he was confirmed as chief.

“I know that you have made a commitment not to engage in this profession (judging) while you are here as the Chief of Police of Pittsburgh, correct?” Coghill asked Sirotto.

According to Pawlak, Gainey and Scirotto agreed behind the scenes that the two could discuss Scirotto returning to officiating basketball games in a year.

“Yet no one informed the council,” said Councilman Anthony Coghill, a Beechview Democrat.

“That’s right,” Pawlak replied.

Board members said that before they confirmed Scirotto as chief, they should have known that within a year he might take a second job that would require him to travel frequently across the country.

“My understanding is that we hired him under false pretenses,” Coghill said.

“Kept in the dark”

During the hours-long meeting, council members criticized Gainey’s administration for not being transparent with them about the chief’s plan to start moonlighting or holding second jobs. audit alleging that Scirotto umpired during city time in his former position as Fort Lauderdale’s top player. police officer.

Sirotto declined to comment Tuesday. He did not attend the council meeting, although he was invited to attend.

In a letter to city leaders last week, Sirotto said he would not take up his post until his resignation date on Friday.

Officials were unable to provide details about Schiroto’s conversations with Gainey or other leaders before he was hired or exactly when he received the mayor’s blessing to resume officiating earlier this month. They were unable to say when these meetings took place, and there is no written contract or agreement.

Council members criticized senior Gainey administration officials for not sharing with them information about a Fort Lauderdale audit that accused Sirotto of double-crossing there by working as a referee while receiving a salary for his police duties.

Pawlak, Frank and Schmidt admitted that they knew about the review before Scirotto was hired but did not read it.

“Following the inspection, it was determined that there were no persistent concerns,” Pawlak explained.

The audit was never carried out, the auditor was subsequently fired, and Scirotto called it politically motivated.

“I felt it was something that needed to be brought to the board,” Coghill told Pawlak. “You kind of sifted it out for us and decided it wasn’t important.”

Board members criticized the administration for not acknowledging Scirotto’s return to officiating until news reports revealed that the executive officiated a game in Michigan earlier this month.

Pawlak said the administration intends to make a public statement about this in a week.

Strasburger said the announcement should have been made before Scirotto’s first game.

“Instead, we were kept in the dark,” she said.

Strassburger noted that the mayor and city manager subsequently provided different and conflicting explanations for the arrangement.

Pulling “quick”

Gainey said the drop in homicides prompted them to reconsider whether Sirotto could resume officiating. Officials on Tuesday said that was a factor in their decision, but the agreement was always that they would discuss the issue again in a year.

Officials have hinted at launching a youth initiative to teach children how to play basketball, but no details have been released.

Gainey also said Scirotto planned to take children with him when he officiated NCAA games, but officials said Tuesday they believed those comments were actually referring to a local mentoring program that would simply teach them how to officiate .

Councilwoman Teresa Keil-Smith, a West End Democrat, accused Scirotto of lying to the council about his intentions to resume officiating.

Lying is a criminal offense for lower-ranking police officers, said police union President Robert Swartzwelder, prompting Keil-Smith to point out that those officers will not be allowed to retire and receive a full pension, as Sirotto is doing.

Despite harsh criticism over transparency and the judge’s decision, council members praised Scirotto for his work as chief, and many said they were disappointed by his departure.

“Chief Scirotto was an outstanding leader,” Strassburger said. “He has done a great job representing the city.”

Board members commended him for his efforts to connect with the community, increase staffing and ensure the bureau operates as efficiently as possible.

“I think the chief has done very good things for me and my district, and I really appreciate his work and his willingness to always answer the phone,” said Councilman Bob Charland, a South Side Democrat. “But ultimately, it appears that the leader was able to quickly strike the city.”

Coghill said he doesn’t think Scirotto’s 18-month tenure as chief is worth the cost to the city.

Pension increase

Pittsburgh spent $80,000 on a nationwide search that resulted in Scirotto being hired. In addition, Coghill said, Sirotto’s pension will now rise to about $95,200 a year from about $50,000 due to his time as head of the company.

Pawlak, Frank and Schmidt said they believed Scirotto could balance officiating with his leadership responsibilities. According to Schmidt, he had nine weeks of vacation a year.

Schmidt told the board that Scirotto told him he planned to officiate about 40 games, mostly on weekends. The boss previously said in a public statement that he intends to play up to 65 games this season.

Pawlak said city policy allowed Scirotto to work a second job.

With Scirotto already retired, board members said they were less focused on how he could balance both positions and more concerned about what they classified as a failure of communication on the part of the administration.

“I don’t think the administration has been transparent with the board,” Coghill said, calling the lack of communication over the referee deal and audit “incompetent” and “unconscionable.”

Coghill, who chairs the council’s public safety committee, said he plans to vet potential candidates more thoroughly when considering Sirotto’s replacement.

Looking for the next boss

Coghill said he has full confidence in the leadership of the Department of Public Safety and the Police Department. He called for the appointment of a new chief from within the ranks of the force.

He said he would not support spending taxpayer money on another large-scale national search 18 months after Sciroto’s costly selection process.

This search was largely a secret process. Members of the search committee signed a non-disclosure agreement with the city.

Keil-Smith said she believes the process was flawed from the start.

She and other council members said they want more council involvement and greater transparency with the public as officials select a new leader.

As mayor, Gainey will appoint a new leader, but the council will have to approve his choice.

Officials did not immediately provide details on what the process to replace Sciroto would look like.

“No decisions have been made yet about who to name or even the process by which this will happen,” Pawlak said.

Chris Ragland, a 30-year veteran of the bureau, is now acting chief.

Pawlak said he was chosen by Scirotto for the role, and he served as the title character until Scirotto left town.

Ragland, who was previously assistant chief, will receive a salary of $185,400 annually until a permanent replacement is selected.