Central City police department at a crossroads; chief resigns, officers forming union

CENTRAL CITY, Pa. – Central City Borough's young police department is at a crossroads.

The department's chief submitted his resignation Monday. Its two remaining officers are forming a union, and a new mayor was appointed who will oversee the operation.

With both officers working just a handful of hours combined for the department since early September, borough officials said they aren't sure what's next for the part-time department.

"We want to continue providing police protection for our town if it's possible," said Borough Councilman Dan Bulger. "We need police protection."

It's too soon to tell what the union will seek, or what it would take to get a contract in place, Council President Bob Sanzo said.

"We're not sure where things stand or what (the officers) are going to ask for yet," Sanzo said after Monday's council meeting.

The Somerset County borough reinstated its police department in 2022, raising taxes by two mills to help cover the cost to hire officers, add vehicles and equipment, and pay for insurance.

The department has been budgeted as a 36-hours-per-week operation since, under Chief Mark Kasterko.

Kasterko, who did not attend Monday's meeting and couldn't be reached for comment, did not say in his letter why he was stepping down effective Oct. 31. But Sanzo said Kasterko apparently found a position with another Somerset County police department.

Borough officials indicated that Kasterko was not part of the vote to join the Teamsters union as part of an organizing process that began more than six months ago.

The borough was notified of the 2-0 vote through a National Labor Relations Board document that was sent to council this month. The council is awaiting correspondence from the union in terms of what it is looking for in a contract, Bulger said.

Kasterko's departure adds another element to the discussion, he and Sanzo said.

"We need someone to serve as the chief," Sanzo said, "and we don't know if either of (Central City's current) officers are interested."

Both officers have full-time day jobs and work shifts for Central City when they are available, which complicates scheduling, Sanzo said.

For more than a month, there has been no one available to patrol the borough, Sanzo said. That means state troopers respond to local emergency calls. He said council has discussed hiring a full-time officer to oversee the department, but it hasn't progressed further than that.

"My opinion is we need a 40-hour-per-week chief," Bulger told fellow council members.

Since its launch in 2022, borough officials have been somewhat split on the police department. Lee Cook, one of three police committee members, has worried about the costs associated with borough-paid police protection.

"We paid $650 last month for no service," Cook said. He tried unsuccessfully to convince the council to hold off on paying $60 to recalibrate a police department stopwatch.

The council did hold off on seeking Kasterko's replacement. Efforts will first be made to reach out to the current officers, and then the topic will be revisited at November's meeting, council members decided.

In a separate move, the council voted to enable its solicitor to consult with specialized labor counsel, for a maximum of $1,000, related to anticipated discussions with the Teamsters union.

Mayor appointed

Central City's elected mayor, Dan Dabbs, resigned last month before council's October meeting.

Borough officials, after some debate, appointed a replacement to fill the remainder of Dabbs' term, which runs until late 2025.

Joe Zelenski Jr. was the lone applicant for the position. Zelenski's appointment was approved by a 4-2 vote. Cook and Bulger opposed the move.

Bulger said he didn't know enough about Zelenski and hoped he would have attended Monday's meeting to field questions about the position. Bulger said he also wanted to make sure Zelenski understood the mayor's role with the police department, which is supposed to include scheduling.

Other council members expressed similar concerns, but also noted they were up against the state's 30-day window to fill the vacancy. The matter would have been turned over to a county judge if the council hadn't reached a decision in a public vote this week.

Sanzo said Zelenski is his wife's cousin, but he did not view his vote of support as a conflict of interest. Zelenski was the borough's only applicant and the deadline was approaching, he added.

Bulger said he is not only interested in what the borough's new mayor thinks about options for the police department. He wants to hear from Central City residents, too.

"What do they want us to do? What do they feel about police protection in our borough?" he said. "Hopefully they come to our next meeting and share their thoughts with us."