Moroco named to fill Hermitage commissioner vacancy
Jan. 25—HERMITAGE — City resident John C. Moroco will be serving a two-year term on the Hermitage Board of Commissioners following a special meeting Thursday evening.
Moroco was selected out of 10 candidates vying to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of William G. McConnell Jr., who was successfully elected to the board in November.
However, McConnell resigned before he could take office so he could take the job of solicitor for Mercer County, which he could not do if he held elected office.
City officials sought applications to fill the vacancy, and called the public meeting Thursday to interview the candidates and make a selection.
City Manager Gary Hinkson said there were originally 13 applications — two of which were withdrawn prior to the meeting.
Aside from Moroco, the other candidates present for the meeting were Craig A. Russo, Nicholas J. Pochiba, Mitchell Reading, Kelly N. Kepner, former county commissioner Matthew McConnell, Delia Wiles, Mark I. Black, former school board member Andrew J. Bucci, Alvan Harakal III, and Tyler M. Gargano.
Each candidate gave an opening statement, followed by six questions asked by city Solicitor Brett Stedman. The questions ranged from why the candidates were interested in serving on the board of commissioners to how the city could pursue economic growth.
The candidates then gave their closing remarks, after which the commissioners submitted their top three choices to Stedman.
Even though only one candidate could be selected, Hinkson said he appreciated the candidates' qualifications and desire to serve on the board.
Hinkson also encouraged the candidates to consider serving with the city's many authorities, committees and boards if they were not selected to fill the vacancy.
"We can use your talents," Hinkson said.
Commissioners President Duane Piccirilli and Vice President William Moder thanked the candidates for applying, and said the choice to pick only one candidate difficult.
Commissioner Louis Squatrito added that he was glad to see the passion so many people had for the city.
The top three candidates were Moroco, Kepner and Reading. The commissioners then rated the three candidates in order of first, second and third choices, with Moroco emerging the highest-rated choice.
Once the selection process was complete, the four sitting commissioners voted unanimously to appoint Moroco to the board. He was sworn in by Piccirilli.
Moroco has lived in Hermitage for almost 30 years and said he was previously interested in public service, but felt the time and travel commitments for work would have prevented him from focusing on the position.
With a background in engineering, Moroco was formerly the vice president of sales at Blair Strip Steel in New Castle. He semi-retired at the end of 2022, which gave him more time to be involved with the community.
Moroco has been able to attend many Hermitage meetings since then, which he said has given him some insight into how the city functions.
Moroco's other interests include serving as a cook with the Prince of Peace Center in Farrell and volunteering with the Mercer County Food Bank.
Following his appointment Thursday, Moroco said he was interested in learning more about how the city and board functions while tackling some of the issues discussed during the meeting, such as attracting businesses and developing housing.
When asked if he would run for another term, Moroco said he would consider when the time came — depending on what projects would need seen through to completion, and how the public and commissioners respond to his service.
"I've been very blessed in the city, so I want to see what I can do for others," Moroco said.
Moroco lives in Hermitage with his wife Cathy. They have a daughter, Annie.
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