Harrisville Council lost three of its seven members Monday, including its president and vice president.

The three members, President Robert Hovis, Vice President Russell Stemmerich and Jim Fischer, verbally quit during an executive session Monday, Stemmerich confirmed in a phone interview Wednesday. All three had turned in resignation letters by the time the borough office closed Wednesday.

The council plans to elect a new president and vice president during a special meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday in the borough office at 117 S. Main St.

The resignations cut the seven-person council nearly in half. If it lost another person, the council couldn't legally hold a meeting. And until a new president is appointed, the borough can't pay any of its bills.

Those three resignations brought the number of recent departures from the council to four.

David Rager, another member and a Harrisville firefighter, quit last month, the borough's office confirmed, though Mayor Gary Hughes said Rager's leaving was only related to his employment hours changing, limiting his availability for the council.

During the same Monday meeting where Hovis, Stemmerich and Fischer quit, the council appointed April Anschutz to replace Rager.

Stemmerich would not get into specifics about why he quit, but he specified that a certain member had motivated his departure. He would not identify the member by name, but said it was a woman who joined the council in January.

Only one woman joined the council in January — Mary Ann Hughes. Mary Ann is wife of Gary Hughes, the mayor.

“I believe her motive was to try and destroy or disrupt the council,” Stemmerich said.

Stemmerich would not clarify what the executive session was about, but he said his departure had been coming regardless of the night's events.

The council, he said, “is in total chaos.” The council's handling of money has grown improper, he alleged.

“If things were going to keep continuing the way they have been going, I was going to resign anyway,” Stemmerich said.

Mary Ann Hughes, on the other hand, said the only thing she's been pushing is accountability and transparency for the borough's government.

Stemmerich, she said, had been aggressive to her since her induction to the council.

“If I ask any question at all, well, I'm not answered very nicely,” she said.

After some prompting, she offered up a reason that might explain why she isn't welcomed to be inquisitive: “Female.”

“If that was a man asking that same question, that would be answered properly,” she said.

Both Mary Ann and Gary Hughes said they did not believe their relationship had caused any of the tension on the council. In an interview at the borough office, Gary Hughes said no one had ever said anything about it to him.

He also said he had no idea why the three men were resigning, and he refused to speculate.

“I really don't know,” he said. “Maybe they have reasons, but I don't know.”

None of the resignation letters include any language explaining a reason for resigning.

Gary Hughes agreed that Monday's meeting had been tense. Neither he nor his wife or Stemmerich would comment on what the executive session was about.

Shortly before the executive session, the board voted to add Anschutz as Rager's replacement.

Anschutz actually entered the story three months ago. Meeting minutes from July show that her husband, Harrisville police Officer Dan Anschutz, was accused of ignoring a citizen report of a crime, telling the citizen to call 911 and not offering further help. The accusation was apparently made by a citizen, who Hovis, the council's president, had put on the agenda to speak about it.

Mary Ann Hughes said the event is what pushed the council to its tipping point.

“His name should have never been brought up in a public meeting,” she said. “It should have been handled in an executive session.”

Minutes for meetings after that incident seem to indicate that things have grown raucous lately. Police Chief William Scheckler “expressed his disappointment that the police department” wasn't able to tell its side of the story, August minutes show.

Hovis also apologized to a borough resident in September's meeting, minutes show, for inappropriate comments made in the last meeting.

By October, things remained tense but had perhaps lost their rowdiness.

That may be due to April Anschutz. In September, she began livestreaming the meetings on her Facebook page. In October, she streamed a somewhat tense discussion of her own appointment to the council.

When nominations for the position opened, Mary Ann Hughes nominated April Anschutz.

To that, Hovis said, “OK. I know it's tricky, but Doug can be a councilman.” Hovis went on to nominate Doug Ferensic, a sewer supervisor for the borough who also does contract work for the borough. April Anschutz won the council vote and will join the council's table Thursday.

Butler County Commissioner Kevin Boozel was present in Monday's meeting. He recommended April Anschutz, as she is his former administrative assistant.

Boozel has his own theories for what's going on.

“I think it's just a changing of the guard,” Boozel said in a phone interview Wednesday. “Like everything else, it's moving along. The borough is a rapidly changing environment.”

Stemmerich is more ominous. He said he hopes the borough's residents “pay close attention” to the council's upcoming moves.

Neither Hovis nor Fischer could be reached for comment.

Mary Ann Hughes thinks it was a simple problem that needs addressing.

“It's a lack of communication,” she said. “Period.”

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