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Scranton Council Demands Post-Storm Snowplowing Report from Mayor
Council members say they want a written document to learn from the city's response during a major January snowstorm.
Published on Feb. 23, 2026
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Scranton City Council members are requesting a written report from the mayor's administration about the city's snowplowing response during a major snowstorm in late January. The council says they want to review the report publicly rather than in a closed-door executive session, and have raised the possibility of using their subpoena power if the administration does not fully address their questions.
Why it matters
The council's demand for a public report highlights ongoing tensions between the legislative and executive branches in Scranton over transparency and accountability around the city's handling of major weather events. The council wants to ensure lessons are learned to improve future storm responses, while the administration has cited personnel issues as complicating the snowplowing efforts.
The details
At a recent council meeting, members said they were promised a 'post-storm report' on the city's snowplowing response, but were then told the administration wanted to discuss it in a private executive session. The council rejected that, saying an executive session would prevent them from publicly discussing the findings. The council also raised the possibility of using its subpoena power if the administration does not fully address their questions about the storm response.
- A major snowstorm hit Scranton on Sunday, January 25 into early Monday, January 26, 2026, dumping around 10.5 inches of snow.
- On January 27, 2026, Scranton City Council members discussed the city's snowplowing response during the storm.
- On January 28, 2026, the administration cited staffing issues, including over one-third of DPW employees calling out on Monday and Tuesday, as hampering the storm response.
The players
Paige Gebhardt Cognetti
The mayor of Scranton.
Jessica Eskra
The city solicitor for Scranton.
Sean McAndrew
A Scranton City Council member.
Tom Schuster
The president of Scranton City Council.
Mark McAndrew
A Scranton City Council member.
What they’re saying
“We were told we were going to get one so we could learn from it, see what happened, see what steps were taken during and after the storm.”
— Sean McAndrew, Scranton City Council member (The Times-Tribune)
“If the administration was to present to us the after-action report in the form of an executive session, we can't discuss it outside of that room, or outside of that meeting. We can't report that out to all of you.”
— Mark McAndrew, Scranton City Council member (The Times-Tribune)
What’s next
The Scranton City Council has asked its solicitor to look into the council's subpoena power and how it could be used if the administration does not fully address the council's questions about the snowstorm response.
The takeaway
This dispute over the post-storm report highlights the ongoing tensions between Scranton's city council and mayor's administration over transparency and accountability. The council wants a public accounting to learn from the storm response, while the administration cites personnel issues and wants to discuss it privately, raising concerns from the council about their ability to share findings with the public.
