The Battle of 2023: Erie City Council's Turbulent Year Toward Progress
The political establishment remains difficult to budge
Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024 will be a day for the history books in our city. City Hall and our local officials were in the spotlight yet again over their penchant for cronyism and corruption, and faced scrutiny from the public at the first Erie City Council meeting of the year. Less than three hours from the end of that marathon meeting, two 15-year-old girls were engaged in a fight on a bus outside Erie High, resulting in a brutal, non-fatal stabbing. If you find these two events unrelated, it's time to start paying closer attention.
We must rewind to exactly one year ago at the previous Erie City Council reorganization meeting of 2023. At that meeting, we saw Chuck Nelson win the presidency over Mel Witherspoon, along with the abrupt resignation of Liz Allen, leaving an empty seat. As a bystander, I was relieved to see the changes.
City Hall followed a democratic process to fill the seat from the applicants of 20 interested residents. When I secured the spot in February 2023, outranking former Councilor Kathy Schaaf by just three points, it felt surreal. As a political no-name, it was refreshing that the council valued merit over name recognition. Our new council immediately got to work and managed to pass more legislation to serve the people of Erie in one year than the past three combined.
In retaliation to that progress, the Old Boys Club plotted a legal coup to regain power. Councilor Ed Brzezinski ran for both the 4-year seat and the 2-year seat created by Allen's resignation with a long term goal of stripping the voters of choice over the pending future vacancy if he won both. Running for multiple seats like this is completely admissible under the state's feeble election laws. Texas, Tennessee, and Mississippi are among a few of the many states that actually outlaw this practice. Brzezinski won both seats, edging out my strong first finish by only 299 votes for the 2-year seat. This is yet another reminder of how much full participation in every single election matters.
Rumors began swirling over the summer of Brzezinski's ultimate goal of appointing his buddy Witherspoon back on council despite reaching the end of his term limit. Lucky for them, City Solicitor Ed Betza willfully made a reaching interpretation of these rules, suggesting that just a one-day break in service constituted enough time to no longer "succeed" oneself.
At the end of my appointment, I issued a grave warning to the public on these efforts within City Hall to circumvent the democratic process of filling the open seat. Although the Office of the City Clerk did their due diligence and alerted the public of the application process for the vacancy, Brzezinski's cronies were ready to seal the deal with legal interpretation on their side. Before the 13 applicants were notified of any interview process, a resolution made its way onto the City Council agenda for the first meeting of the year to directly appoint Witherspoon, stating that he "is able to be appointed after his term ended and contribute with his many years of experience on City Council." Word spread quickly at the start of the new year on this Brzezinski-led effort, which received its vital second motion of support from Councilor Maurice "Mo" Troop, who also serves as an assistant principal at Erie High.
There was initial hope after the council meeting, especially given the split in public opinion (15 against the resolution to appoint Witherspoon and three in favor) and the mayor's assurance that he would leave the process up to the six members of council. Schember further asserted that public interviews ought to be scheduled "in the interest of transparency" (Erie Times News, 2024). As an applicant, I anxiously awaited notification on the council's next move. City Clerk Laurie Watson contacted all applicants the next day with a brief assignment on their vision for the job as well as scheduling for a special council session for interviews on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 5:30 p.m.
In less than 24 hours, Schember did an about-face and signed the resolution appointing Witherspoon to yet again sit at the dais. Not only did Schember continue the violation of the spirit of the law on term limits, but he usurped newly chosen President Jasmine Flores' power to set the remaining process for filling the vacancy. It is no surprise, given that Flores' rise to presidency was one of the only bright spots that day. Her herculean growth from her first campaign in 2019 is admirable, and she makes history as both the youngest and the first Latina leader of Erie City Council. The City's Office of Communications has released no photographs or statements on this accomplishment, and this silence is notably loud.
I see the clear divide between the Old Boys Club, where Schaaf has firmly cemented herself to do their work, and the New Lucid Lions, wherein political lions are considered leaders who can usher in transformative change. The Old Boys Club asked for respect during that Jan. 3 council meeting. What they really want is our collective compliance and silence.
I turn and ask Mayor Schember and councilors Witherspoon, Brzezinski, Schaaf, and Troop: how will you demonstrate your respect for our youth and their future this year? A child was stabbed leaving school on the same day that you prioritized internal politicking over public service. Neglecting the urgency for real change will not only cost elections but will cost lives. Our youth are still screaming out. Don't fail them.
Susannah Faulkner is a former Erie City Council appointee. She can be reached at susannah.faulkner@gmail.com
