By Annie Pulley

Monday morning’s press conference with Kittatinny leaders exposed the challenges facing the city in light of felony charges pending against the city’s mayor and the steel mill’s recently announced closure.

On Saturday afternoon, Mayor Gustavus Petykiewicz, 62, caused an accident in the Town of Frontenac after driving into traffic and striking a motorist. An open bottle of vodka was next to him, and his blood alcohol content was nearly two times the accepted limit. The mayor was promptly arrested. 

The mayor spent the night in Schuylkill County Jail. A hearing will be held on Tuesday morning in the Schuylkill County District Court. Petykiewicz faces a felony charge of causing great bodily harm by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle, Schuylkill County District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said. 

Robert Doane, 48, was the victim of the mayor’s drunk driving. Due to the extent of his injuries, Doane was airlifted to the trauma center in Wilkes-Barre. A supervising nurse has since noted that Doane’s condition is stable. 

The arrest of the mayor comes as a shock to an already reeling Kittatinny. Susquehanna Steel, employing 900 workers from Kittatinny and the surrounding areas, announced its closure last Friday.

The mill’s closure will reduce Kittatinny’s city budget by 21 percent. “You’d be drinking too if you were me,” Petykiewicz said to the deputy on scene. 

The attorney general of Pennsylvania explained that state law dictates that Denelda Penoyer, the president of the city council and the highest-ranking elected official, will assume the duties of mayor. 

Petykiewicz has since been released on bail. As of Monday morning, he is presumed to be within his home, refusing contact with the press and city officials alike. 

“If I were him, I’d be keeping my head pretty low right now myself,” Penoyer said Monday morning. The mayor’s arrest is one of many problems facing Kittatinny. 

With profitable branches in Cleveland and Kansas City, Missouri, the mill’s closure shocked city leaders. “We had no idea this was coming,” Penoyer said. “I practically fell over,” said Gordon Shalikashvili, president of the United Steelworkers Union’s local office. 

“I cannot sugar coat this,” Penoyer said. With Kittatinny headed for hardship, Penoyer outlined both the city’s immediate plan to aid the displaced workers and Kittatinny’s future outlook. 

The loss of the mill will impact everyone in Kittatinny. Hundreds of families are now directly vulnerable, but every resident is likely to feel the effect of the loss. The hit to the budget may lead to higher taxes, Penoyer explained. 

The city will be appealing to state authorities in Harrisburg for unemployment aid and economic development funds, Penoyer said. The United Steelworkers Union also explained that they plan to relocate a limited number of displaced workers.

Facing budget cuts, potential tax hikes, and the real possibility of government layoffs, Penoyer made known her desire to reinject stability into Kittatinny. “We’ll be talking to companies like Amazon in the warehouse business,” Penoyer said. 

Penoyer hasn’t ruled out tax incentives to interest companies looking for real estate. “We’re willing to talk,” Penoyer said. Regardless of the future outlook, 900 families are already suffering. 

The 900 families affected by the closure will receive 26 weeks of unemployment insurance. The union will supplement this with weekly payments of $300, Shalikashvili said. These families can expect charitable support as well. 

Father Frederick Farkle, priest of one of the city’s catholic churches and president of the Schuylkill County Interfaith Council, explained that religious leaders in the community will hold collections, fundraising and charitable events to raise money for the families affected. 

Farkle explained that many leaders in a position to offer aid, such as in housing and schooling, are also members of Schuylkill’s many faith organizations. “We’re not above twisting a few arms just because we wear funny collars,” said Farkle. Hardship still looms, however. 

Because mill labor was unskilled, newly unemployed workers face worse prospects. A strong school-to-mill pipeline existed for generations in Kittatinny. “Many of these guys follow their fathers into the steel plant,” Shalikashvili said. Though workers were considered unskilled, wages were high. 

According to Shalikashvili, mill workers regularly putting in overtime hours could expect a yearly salary of $70,000. Shalikashvili clarified that the hourly wage is well above the national wage. Future job prospects are unlikely to compare. 

Everyday warehouse or manufacturing jobs might pay $12 to $15 an hour, distinct from the mill’s average wage of $28 an hour. Shalikashvili reverberated Penoyer’s belief that Kittatinny is suffering a humanitarian crisis. 

Such strong connections to an area are not easily disrupted, Penoyer made sure to mention. Though acknowledging the difficulty Kittainny faces, Shalikashvili added to this theme of resilience, saying that the present crisis is an opportunity for Kittatinny to reinvent itself. 

One thing is certain: Kittatinny will face the coming hardship with a leader dedicated to the city’s perseverance. Knowing she would make less and work more, Penoyer assumed the responsibilities of mayor. Summing it up simply, Penoyer noted, “This is home.”