West View Borough Lays Off Manager, Puts Police Chief in Charge

West View Borough Council on Wednesday voted unanimously to lay off borough Manager Ken Wolf, effective immediately, and appointed Police Chief Bruce Fromlak as interim manager.

The action was not on the agenda and was taken after a 20-minute, closed-door executive session. Three resolutions were proposed: one, to lay off the current secretary/manager; the second, to appoint the police chief to the position on an interim basis; and a resolution to look into having a financial clerk position handle borough finances.  

All three motions passed unanimously; Councilman Barry Schell was absent.  

Mayor John Henry said the move was “part of an ongoing administrative restructuring” that would make the borough more efficient.

He said West View would not be the first community in the region to have combined the police chief/borough manager position, citing Carnegie and Latrobe as other towns that have made a similar move.

He said there would not be a conflict of interest for the chief, since the mayor and council will have oversight of his duties.

Wolf, was not in attendance at the meeting. 

Wolf was employed by the borough for 25 years, having worked as a bookkeeper before taking on the manager's position. 

Fromlak said he would now be responsible for managing borough employees, as well as its financial deposits and expenditures, in addition to his role as police chief.

“I’m here to support the borough in whatever means I can,” he said. “I’m willing to take on any obligation they pass my way.”

Fromlak has been a member of the West View police force for 26 years. He was promoted to chief in March.

“I look forward to the challenge,” he said.   

It is not clear how long he might hold the interim position. Henry said there was no timeline to hire another secretary/manager, if one would be hired at all.