Ian Lipton has resigned from his job as executive director of Pottsville Parking Authority.
On Friday morning, the Authority’s board of directors voted to accept Lipton’s resignation. The exiting director said publicly that new Pottsville Mayor Tom Smith approached him recently and gave him two choices.
“The Mayor gave me two choices. I think he put it this way … you can either resign or you’ll be fired,” Lipton said.
Smith, who was present at Friday morning’s meeting, didn’t deny that interaction.
He responded, “That’s exactly how that went.”
On his way out, Lipton defended his record in charge of the Parking Authority and in his various roles within Pottsville government.
“I leave after serving the City for 40 years in a variety of positions starting in 1985 with a stellar record for giving the City everything I could give it over that 40 years,” he said.
In the past six years as executive director of the Parking Authority, Lipton said he went from $32,000 gross pay to making $37,500.
During his tenure, Lipton said the Parking Authority went from “having no money” to having “significant funds” that pays the $200,000 annual debt service on the Mahantongo St. parking garage.
He also said previous Parking Authority boards took actions that allowed it to rehabilitate the Capitol parking garage, which he said hadn’t been done in 37 years. That project cost $415,000 over 3 years, he said.
“We never borrowed a penny,” Lipton emphasized.
Lipton then threw shade on the Parking Authority’s meeting agenda on Friday.
“I just want to make sure that the record is clear that the financials, which are really thin here,” he said, holding up a paper copy of the agenda, “And I mean terribly thin and incomplete … If you’re looking for transparency, this is not transparency.”
Prior to his comments, Parking Authority Solicitor Tom Campion informed board members that Lipton turned down the $2,000 performance bonus the previous board voted to give him at their last meeting.
Coal Region Canary had raised Sunshine Act concerns that the vote to approve that bonus was not included on that public meeting agenda. However, the issue was on previous meeting agendas.
Pottsville Parking Authority Overhaul
Lipton’s exit completes a total overhaul of the Parking Authority in the city since the Republican-led administration assumed control of City Hall on Monday.
Soon after being sworn-in, Smith removed everyone from the Parking Authority’s board of directors and appointed his own selections to replace them.
Two remained, Jim Humphrey and Joseph Drasdis III, from the old board and were appointed to new terms.
On Friday, the new members took their seats for the first time and their first order of business was to accept Lipton’s resignation. Those members included Bob Hoppe, Amber Grube, and Sean Reilly.
Drasdis was named the new chairman of the Parking Authority board. He said he’ll be serving as a part-time executive director with no pay for the next six months.
Humphrey was voted in as vice-chairman of the board. Grube will serve as secretary and Reilly as treasurer.
The board voted unanimously to offer administrative assistant Steve Macola the same job with more hours, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, at $19 per hour.
Photo: Lipton and Smith discuss their interaction regarding the future of the director’s job at Friday’s Parking Authority meeting (Coal Region Canary photo)
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