Scranton City Council to return to chambers next week

Jeff Horvath, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·3 min read

May 18—Scranton City Council will return to City Hall for in-person meetings beginning next week — a week earlier than anticipated.

Council's May 25 caucus and meeting will be the first held in City Hall since March 2020. Occupancy will be limited to 50% to comply with state restrictions that will be lifted May 31, after which in-person council sessions won't be bound by occupancy limits. When not speaking at the podium, attendees will be required to wear masks until further notice, council President Bill Gaughan said.

Council will work with the Scranton Fire Department to determine what 50% of council chambers' maximum occupancy is and announce that number prior to next week's meeting, he said. The in-person meetings will be broadcast live on Electric City Television and ECTV's YouTube channel.

After Gaughan announced the planned return to chambers Monday, council introduced legislation amending its own rules to give the council president authority to implement temporary safety protocols in the event of public health or weather emergencies. Under council's amended rules, for example, the president would have the authority to conduct meetings remotely in compliance with the state Sunshine Act — as it has for more than a year.

During the COVID-19 pandemic or other health emergencies, the president could require that meeting attendees wear masks, social distance in council chambers and have their temperatures checked prior to entry. The president also could limit the number of attendees to ensure appropriate social distancing, per the proposed rule changes.

"This is obviously a fluid situation and things do seem to be changing weekly or monthly, so we have to have the ability to put procedures in place to protect the public and the council," Gaughan said.

Also Monday, council voted 5-0 against legislation authorizing Scranton to become a member of the Pennsylvania Safety Alliance. The organization is a nonprofit "promoting sensible, evidence-based firearm policies" aimed at saving lives and preventing injury, according to its website.

Council members said they support gun safety, but expressed concerns with the legislation submitted by the mayor's office and the alliance itself.

Reiterating concerns he's raised in recent weeks, Councilman Tom Schuster argued the regulation of firearms falls outside the scope of municipal government.

The alliance might be a "Trojan horse for something else that might infringe on legal gun owners," Councilman Mark McAndrew contends.

Councilman Kyle Donahue said the organization's mission and priorities are vague.

While she's open to continuing the dialogue, Councilwoman Jessica Rothchild doesn't feel council was provided enough information on the specific legislation the alliance would be advocating for.

Among other arguments, Gaughan said council should not be a forum for making political statements.

"I think it's a slippery slope and I think we're here to conduct the business of the city, not ... promote all these different causes," he said. "Even if we agree with them or disagree with them, it just takes us down a road that I don't really think that we should be going down at this point."

The majority of the 10 public comments council received ahead of Monday's meeting were in opposition to Scranton becoming a member of the alliance.

Contact the writer: jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141; @jhorvathTT on Twitter.