Cheswick appoints 3rd new member to council this year

Nearly half of the people serving on Cheswick Council have less than six months of experience, but that doesn’t concern President Brad Yaksich.

The borough council has filled three vacancies this year, appointing Adis Halimic and Frank Stanish in March and Nick Pollino last week.

“I’m very confident in Frank, Adis and Nick, and I’m hoping that we won’t have to deal with (council vacancies) for a while,” said Yaksich, who was appointed to the council five years ago.

Yaksich said that when council members Kathy Gilliard and Bill Kuzmirek resigned earlier this year, officials interviewed five people who were interested in filling those two vacancies.

At the time, council appointed Halimic and Stanish to fill the open seats. Terms for Halimic and Stanish, who are engineers, expire at the end of next year.

“We had five very qualified people (who expressed interest in the openings), so we kept a list,” Yaksich said.

When Karen Matisz resigned this summer, council reached out to Pollino to see whether he still was interested in serving.

Yaksich said there is no particular reason for the recent turnover on the seven-member council. He said council vacancies in area municipalities aren’t uncommon.

The three newcomers join Yaksich, Shawna Almes, Frank Meledandri and George White as council members.

Like Halimic and Stanish, the term for Pollino, 34, expires at the end of 2025, along with the terms of Almes, Meladandri and White. Yaksich’s term expires at the end of 2027.

“I felt it was my time to give back and help out as best I could,” Pollino said.

Pollino owns a landscaping business in Harmar with his brother.

“During the interview process, he seemed to be interested in community development and zoning, and that’s what we need,” Yaksich said. “He’s a natural fit.”

Cheswick is a great community to grow up in, Pollino said, and has seen some growth and success in the borough over the past couple of years, including the Strawberry Festival and a new pop-up market series.

“I hope I can help continue that growth,” he said.

Pollino also is involved with the Allegheny Valley Volunteer Fire Company. He said his family instilled in him the importance of getting involved in the community. His father, Nino, is president of the Allegheny Valley School Board.

“I feel like I can be an asset to (council),” Pollino said. “Hopefully, I can be somebody (residents) can voice their opinions to and can help them out.”