CLEARFIELD, Pa. — Clearfield Borough Council has accepted the resignations of council member Dennis Biancuzzo and Mayor Mason Strouse.
Biancuzzo submitted his resignation May 26, citing harassment and personal attacks. According to previously published Gant News articles, officials canceled a scheduled May 21 meeting after a council member received threats. The borough building also closed the next day, May 22, forcing officials to reschedule the meeting for May 27. Biancuzzo’s resignation took effect immediately, and he did not attend the rescheduled session.
Prior to accepting the resignation, treasurer Barb Shaffner called Biancuzzo a great asset to the council and acknowledged he stepped down due to outside factors.
“He should not have messages regarding his personal life. It’s unacceptable,” Shaffner said. Multiple council members agreed with her sentiment before voting to accept the resignation.
At the May 27 meeting, Strouse read his own resignation letter, which took effect June 1. Strouse described the local political atmosphere as hostile, toxic, and damaging to both his home life and career. He noted that Christie Fulton also sent him messages, which she allegedly deleted later, falsely accusing him of crimes. Strouse said the false accusations forced the school where he works to implement an alternate schedule.
“Mason is going to be very hard to replace,” Shaffner said. “It’s sad that it came to this.”
The council accepted his resignation with regret.
The borough will advertise Strouse’s vacancy to interested applicants, with the appointee serving out the remainder of the current term. Council will also advertise Biancuzzo’s vacant 3rd Ward seat. Following his departure, the 3rd Ward currently has no representation; a second seat, formerly occupied by Tristan Buck, also remains unfilled.
In other business, the council voted 5-1 in favor of the amusement tax on gate admission for this year’s Clearfield County Fair. President Ann Jane Ross abstained from the vote because she serves on the Fair Board, while Bill Armstrong voted against the measure.
Prior to the vote, Bruce Fair warned that altering the tax structure so close to the event could cause problems, noting any changes might prompt the carnival group responsible for the rides to pull out of the fair.
The council will reconvene at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 18.
