Metcalfe: Pgh. mayor should be impeached
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe outlined a resolution on Monday to impeach “rogue” Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto for firearms legislation introduced last month.
Metcalfe, R-12th, introduced the resolution during the “Rally to Protect Your Rights to Bear Arms” event in the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg. He said elected officials take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. Part of that defense, he said, is holding elected officials who violate laws accountable.
Metcalfe said he was sending a memorandum to members of the House and Senate to gain support for his proposed resolution calling for Peduto's impeachment for his “misbehavior in office” and violating the Constitution. The announcement garnered loud, extended cheers from the hundreds gathered in the Rotunda.
“He willfully, brazenly, arrogantly violated the law because he doesn't agree with employing the processes that are in place to change it,” Metcalfe said of Peduto.
In a statement, the mayor's office referred to Metcalfe's resolution as “political games” and noted that if Peduto were impeached, the position would be taken over by City Council President Bruce Kraus.
“Mayor Peduto is focused on solving the mass shooting epidemic endangering our neighborhoods, schools and places of worship, and not political games like this,” the statement read. “But then again, if the representative wants him replaced with Pittsburgh's first openly gay mayor, that's fine.”
In April, Peduto signed bills enforcing firearms legislation into law, declaring the community had come together “to say enough is enough.” The bills were in response to the October shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue that killed 11 people.
After the legislation was signed, lawsuits were filed challenging their validity. Metcalfe, meanwhile, took to Facebook to call the bills illegal.
“I just asked our attorney to have a resolution drafted to IMPEACH the Mayor of Pittsburgh for illegal gun control ordinances!” the post read.
On Monday, Metcalfe doubled down on his comments, saying Peduto has no regard for laws outlined in the Constitution.
“When we have somebody in elected office who grossly abuses the law that he swore an oath to defend, we cannot let that stand without challenge,” he said, calling for other elected officials to sponsor the resolution. “Let's get rid of this rogue mayor and stop anybody else from joining him.”
