The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

November 11, 2009

Mayor Robertson tapped as new Sharpsville borough manager

Will take over next year as Michael Wilson retires

By Courtney L. Anderson

SHARPSVILLE — The man Sharpsville council members tapped to be the new borough manager is no stranger to town politics.

Council Tuesday unanimously named Mayor Ken Robertson as assistant borough manager. He�ll start at that post Nov. 19 and take over when longtime Borough Manager Michael G. Wilson retires on Jan. 4, which just happens to be Robertson�s 52nd birthday.

�I�m humbled to serve our residents and look forward to doing so professionally,� Robertson said. �I�m proud of our community.�

A Sharpsville High School graduate, Robertson was just elected to his fifth term as mayor and spent time as a councilman prior to that.

�I hope you do a good job � you should, you�ve been here a quarter of a century,� council member Jack Cardwell told Robertson.

�Don�t be scared, but I have high expectations for you,� council member John Alfredo said.

Council member Robert Piccirilli said he believes they found the best person for the job and noted that there�ll be little training time involved.

Robertson said he will resign his mayoral post at 7:59 a.m., one minute prior to beginning his new job. Council has 30 days to appoint a new mayor.

Robertson has 25 years experience in the private sector that he said adds to his public service.

He�ll leave his job in sales at Hicks Office Plus and was manager of Castle Stationery, both Hermitage.

�Small business is a strength of this community,� Robertson said. �I want to make sure we continue to support (it).�

He said he�ll also focus on keeping Sharpsville a desirable place to live.

�People are used to good services. I aim to keep those services and keep the costs down,� he said.

Robertson was chosen out of 95 applicants for the job.

�We�ve come to the end of a fairly long process,� personnel committee Chairman Guy Moderelli said. �We met a lot of interesting people along the way and settled on one of our own.�

Council President Tom Lally, who is finishing up his term on council after not seeking reelection, called the hiring a �bittersweet moment.�

�It�s kind of sad to see you go as mayor,� Lally told Robertson.

Wilson said Robertson�s salary is $52,000 plus benefits that total about $12,000.

Robertson thanked his wife Tracy for her support and council members noted how much she�s done over the years as the mayor�s wife. The Robertsons have three children, Kelsey, Kaleb and Maggie.

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