EASTON, Pa. — Tempers flared at Easton City Council on Wednesday over a resolution it passed setting attendance rules for its members.
The new resolution, which adds an attendance policy to Easton City Council’s Code of Conduct, caused pointed debates over language, perceived penalties and privacy.
The piece of law originally was pitched as promoting “good governance.”
“We were elected to do a job. The bare minimum is to show up. If you don't show up, don't do the job, don't run. And it's not for anybody in particular. There's new people coming, whether it's county council or city council — do your job."Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone
Councilman Frank Pintabone originated the resolution, with support from Councilwoman Crystal Rose, to set a standard for attending council and other meetings, and for providing reports of said attendance at the end of each year.
It spells out an amendment to the council’s Code of Conduct, which was replaced in June 2024, tasking the city clerk with keeping attendance records of council meetings, committee meetings and executive sessions, and providing a report at the last council meeting each year.
But concerns regarding overreach, invasion of privacy and other matters sprung up, largely decried by Councilwoman Taiba Sultana, the only council member to vote against the resolution.
'I can't personally say that'
The resolution says council members who miss three council meetings, or a total of six council, committee and executive session meetings in a year “shall be subject to the Discipline Matrix for public officials."
That would start "with an Oral Warning, upon motion by a Council Member, which must be approved by a majority of Council Members in attendance,” the resolution says.
The resolution also includes a provision laying out additional disciplinary steps if a member is absent from additional meetings in a given year.
Furthermore, members unable to attend a meeting are required to notify the city clerk, with the council left to decide whether they should excuse an absence and defer discipline.
Another amendment in the resolution states that council members getting funding to attend training, educational seminars or conferences to present a report at the first council meeting following that training and to provide an opinion on potential applications to issues present in Easton.
Pintabone said the resolution targeted no one in particular, and simply set a standard for local government going forward.
Asked whether she felt targeted by the resolution, Sultana responded, “I can’t personally say that.”
'Just good government'
However, several council members stated that Sultana had missed out on two sessions in which the annual budget was voted on.
“Just for the record, as the person who proposed this legislation, and if you don't mind, Councilwoman Rose, as you co-sponsored it with me: This is nothing more than just good government; being responsible to the residents and the taxpayers of the city," Pintabone said.
"That's all this is. It's good government.
“We were elected to do a job. The bare minimum is to show up. If you don't show up, don't do the job, don't run. And it's not for anybody in particular.
"There's new people coming, whether it's county council or city council — do your job."
Sultana raised several questions about the language in the resolution, stating concerns over the term “required to attend” over “expected to attend.”
Sultana cited the city’s home rule charter, which suggests setting some general standards but leaves the details up to council to dictate via their Code of Conduct.
“I don't know the distinction between expected and required to attend would be a material distinction," solicitor Joel Scheer said. "I can't imagine that.”
Later, Scheer added, “the code of conduct is your own determination of what you believe is appropriate conduct for all members.”
'Not going to make a hill of beans'
Councilman Roger Ruggles raised questions about the differentiation between “required” and “expected.”
Scheer eventually said, “Dr. Ruggles, if you feel better with the word ‘expected,’ it’s not going to make a hill of beans difference in the ultimate impact of what you’re trying to say.”
“Let's commit to showing up and doing what we're supposed to be doing."Crystal Rose
Another question about stating an excuse for an absence being a potential violation of privacy led to Scheer stating, “I guess your reason then, if you’re saying it’s a right of privacy, then I would say the explanation is that ‘I can’t be there for personal reasons.’”
Rose later stated the policy was a simple matter of accountability “to the people who put us in office.”
“Let's commit to showing up and doing what we're supposed to be doing," she said.
"I mean, I don’t want to draw this out and talk about it for another half hour, or we could just vote on it and commit to showing up here and doing your job."
Brown demands apology
Vice Mayor Ken Brown also spoke out over prior claims, allegedly from Sultana, that he had missed a total of eight meetings in 2024, including four council meetings.
Furthermore, Brown said, Sultana said Mayor Sal Panto Jr. had missed three meetings.
Brown said he reviewed meeting minutes starting in 2023, finding he had only missed one meeting, and had even called in for a council meeting while recovering from back surgery.
Later in the meeting, Panto stated he had called in for meetings even while on vacation in Italy and Puerto Rico.
“So Miss Sultana, I ask, if you're going to make statements on the internet about someone, I would ask that you do your own fact-checking," Brown said.
"It's very disheartening to hear people calling me and asking me and sending me your page about this. I don't know what to tell you at this point, but my thing is that I'm going to be professional at all times.
"I'm not going to get on the internet and play tag with anyone. And most importantly, I believe that you owe me, Ken Brown, a public apology for misrepresenting my name, my character and my being on this council. That's all I have to say.”
'You show up'
After repeating the demand for an apology, Sultana responded by stating she would ignore it.
She said Brown should not bring “your personal grudge to the Easton City Council, because we are here to make decisions for the people, not to deal with your emotional…”
Sultana later stated that she felt the resolution could “open up many legal issues” with the use of the term “required.”
“I would rather create an environment where council members actually feel like they should talk to or come to the city clerk or other council members to inform them ‘Hey, I won’t be able to attend,’" she said.
"But requiring, mandating their attendance is, in my opinion, illegal, and that can open up a lot of legal issues for us in the future."
Sultana said she felt the resolution would lead to elected officials mandating what other officials could do.
“I cannot tell them to attend meetings, right?" she said. "They are accountable to the public, not me.”
Her fellow council members appeared satisfied with the resolution in the end.
“I don’t quite understand what the issue is," Pintabone said. "It should have been a 7-0 vote.
“If you got the job, you should show up.”
