Pottsville City Council members voted Monday to enter into ICE’s 287(g) program. That happened moments after they voted against it.
After taking a long pause to initially say “No” to enter into the agreement, Councilman Scott Price interrupted council considering the next item on the meeting agenda – voting to sell a city-owned Humvee – to say, “I need to stop.”
He said, “This is going to make me look like a complete fool” but said he needed to reverse his vote, remembering the discussions he said he had in the last month with several officers – he named Chief John Morrow and Capt. Joseph Welsh, specifically – and asked to re-open the vote on entering 287(g).
He said, “This is not something that I want. I’m as Republican as anybody is but … we campaigned with the Hispanic community but I have to side with our police officers.”
Price said in those discussions with police, they told him, “We need this to better do our jobs.”
As he was explaining why he was suddenly changing his mind, Councilman Andy Wollyung, who had just spoken out on why he opposed the idea, said, “This is wrong, Scott. This is wrong. Don’t do this, Scott.”
Price responded. “The longer we hold it off, the more it just festers. I spoke to the leadership in the department. They’re telling us they need it. They’re telling us they want to be involved.”
Ultimately, after a re-vote, Pottsville decided to enter into the program with Price joining fellow Republicans Mayor Tom Smith and Councilman Jonathan Marsh on the idea. Councilpersons Dottie Botto and Wollyung opposed.
The program will give Pottsville officers limited immigration law enforcement powers. ICE has promised large sums of funding marketed as expenses reimbursements to entice local municipalities like Pottsville into joining the program.
“I’m not willing to sacrifice our morality and take care of what the federal government’s agenda is on this,” Wollyung said prior to his first vote against joining 287(g). “We always take care of our own in this region. Take this decision off of our officers. Let them continue to do what they do. I don’t want to put them at risk any further in any shape or form.”
Prior to Wollyung speaking, council members heard about 90 minutes of comments from the public regarding Monday’s anticipated vote. Most people who spoke publicly opposed the City entering into the agreement.
A small group of about 25 people gathered outside City Hall prior to Monday’s meeting to protest a potential affirming vote to join 287(g).
Brandon Cresina warned council members before their vote that local law enforcement agencies are being sued after joining the program due to issues like wrongful arrests.
“I don’t believe anyone outside or sitting in here today has bad faith in our police. None of us assume any of our officers would jeopardize Pottsville’s well-being for their own vendetta but we are only as strong as our weakest link. And in this agreement, ICE is our weakest link,” Cresina said, adding that Pottsville officers would have their hands forced into bad decisions working under the direction of ICE.
“We’d be fools to do their dirty work,” he said, channeling Steely Dan.
Earlier in the public comment period, however, councilmembers heard from Mahanoy Township Police Chief Jody Long, who said that in his municipality’s limited experience – since April – with the 287(g) program, “We tell (ICE) what to do.”
When Price initially voted No on joining, he received loud applause from those watching in person. As it was realized he was changing his vote, those cheers turned to jeers and name-calling, which the councilman took in stride and said he deserved the pushback.
“Whatever blowback I get in here and on social media, I deserve it. But I have to go with what our law enforcement officers want,” Price said in defense of his reversal.
Wollyung tried to get Price to reconsider changing his vote so suddenly and said he could bring it up the next time they met. Price did not. After the re-vote, a frustrated Wollyung said, “The price of morality is $100,000, in case anyone wants to know.”
That was apparently a reference to a one-time payment the City said it was promised after officers make an initial arrest once enrolled in the program, which was revealed after last month’s meeting. ICE does also promise municipalities up to $100,000 for equipment expenses once they join 287(g).
Council Responsibilities Shift
The vote on 287(g) also publicly exposed more visible divisions among council members and Price’s reversal on the 287(g) issue seems to have cost him the vote he needed to reclaim the role of Director of Accounts and Finance on City Council.
Last month, it was discussed restoring him to that role, which he initially was given after inauguration to office but stepped down from it on Feb. 9, being replaced by Marsh.
Marsh was affronted last month when it was proposed by Wollyung to replace him with Price. He defended himself for keeping that role again on Monday by saying, “I think continuity matters, especially in leadership.”
However, Botto signaled just prior that she would no longer be backing Price for the switch back to Accounts and Finance following his reversal on the 287(g) issue.
“We can’t have a vote and have you change your mind,” she told him.
Price detailed more splits among the council members, including those within his own party. He added that he’s received no phone calls from either Smith or Marsh regarding “any city topic” since they took office.
And despite his changed vote on 287(g) to back his fellow Republicans, it seemingly did nothing to heal that division. When the discussion began on Monday to put Price back into the Accounts and Finance role, Smith – who publicly preferred Marsh to stay in the that position – claimed that Price hadn’t done initial work as part of that job, including going to the bank and complete paperwork.
Price told the Mayor he didn’t want to argue publicly about it and referenced his career change that coincided with the beginning of his term on council.
“There’s an obvious divide on this council,” he said. “The reason I resigned in February was because you guys approached other council members to remove me at the next meeting. Rather than be bullied out, I stepped down until my job situation squared away. It’s now squared away.”
Council did approve a role switch for Botto and Wollyung, who agreed to take control of each other’s department, with the councilwoman taking on Director of Public Safety and the councilman assuming control of Director of Streets and Public Improvements.
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