Dunmore resident urges council to verify property lines after dispute over sidewalk maintenance

Ken Smith of 1631 Electric Street used public comment time at the Oct. 13 Dunmore Borough Council meeting to dispute suggestions that borough employees had been working on his private property.

Smith said he requested an overhead schematic from the county assessor and brought deeds showing the sidewalks at the Quincy Avenue entrance to the Dunmore School belong to the borough. He said borough employees had removed weeds from the sidewalk prior to the school year and that some council members later appeared to question whether staff had been working on his private property. Smith called those suggestions "ignorant, arrogant and petty," invited council members to view his deed records in person, and asked that elected officials do due diligence before making critical remarks to taxpayers.

Council members said earlier conversation had been unclear about the exact location of the sidewalk and that no one intended to allege misconduct. Councilmember William O’Malley asked who clears sidewalks for snow and Smith said the school district handles snow removal for student safety. The exchange ended with council thanking Smith for raising the issue.

The transcript includes a naming discrepancy: Smith referred to his neighbor as "Jerry Dempsey," while council member roster earlier in the meeting lists a Michael Dempsey; the transcript does not clarify whether those names refer to the same person. The article does not assume they are identical individuals.