First, I would like to thank my LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST for giving me the opportunity to serve my home of Jeannette for the past eight years, a special thank you to my wife Karen and family for all the stress that they have shared with me.

I want to thank all the council’s members especially Mr. Chuck Highlands, all our employees, commissions, boards, volunteers, businesses, residents, and everyone who helped in any way the past eight years to make Jeannette a better place. I want to send a special thank you out to State Senator Kim Ward who helped so much in all that has been accomplished in the last eight years.

The two departments that I was the head of, the Police Department and the Community Development Department are 100% better than when I took office on January 2, 2018.

In the police department the first cameras were installed throughout the city, 130 of them, plus license plate readers are at every entrance to our city, police body cameras and dash cameras were also a first, abuse of sick time that average over 300 days a year is now at a record low. When I took office Traffic enforcement was absolutely nonexistent, traffic enforcement is now at an all-time high in our city. I am very happy that I had placed on all our marked police vehicles, “IN GOD WE TRUST”. Our police department is very respected in Westmoreland County.

I have had the privilege to work with three outstanding Police Chiefs, Retired Police Chief Shannon Binda, Retired Police Chief Donald Johnston Jr and Current Police Chief Derek Manley.

In the Community Development Department, so much was accomplished. A record number of grants were awarded to our city with Ethan Keedy as the Director of Community Development and Urban Design’s Ventures directed by CEO Walt Haglund.  A 1.7 Million Dollar renovation to our city parks and playgrounds. All new sidewalks and intersections were completed on Clay Avenue. The first phase of our new Fire Station has been completed.  Total reconstruction of the South Sixth Street bridge. Jeannette is definitely a better city than it was eight years ago.

The Ebara Elliott Energy Amphitheater was such a wonderful addition to our community.  The late Tay R. Waltenbaugh from Westmoreland Community Action spearheaded this project.

The Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles opened on Lowry Avenue.

The Community Room on the third floor of City Hall is in the first phase of being renovated to be used by our residents.

An unprecedented one hundred sixty blighted properties were demolished.

The former Fort Pitt Brewery in West Jeannette was demolished.

The sixty-million-dollar Ebara Elliott Energy Turbo Testing Facility was constructed and is in operation.

The Jayhawk Commons Development is underway and is going to be such a beautiful addition to our hometown.

It is the first time that our city has had a full time Code Enforcement and Property Enforcement Officers at the same time.

I am very happy that my first year in office myself and council gave approval for the first Nativity Scene to be placed in front of City Hall at Christmas and Invocation before every monthly council meeting.

In my first term Laura and Councilman Ron Smith, established the first Sparkle of Christmas parade.

I know that I made mistakes, but I am very thankful that I kept the oath of office that I was sworn in to do.

Senator John Fetterman told me during my first term in office at the Pennsylvania Mayors Convention, that my friends will become my enemies and my enemies will become my friends, he was spot on.

I know that everything is God’s will, and I know that he knows how much stress that comes along with the mayor title. Even though there are five people voting to make decisions, it’s always the mayor’s fault. The Good Lord decided that two terms were enough for me.

The last couple years have been brutal!

I was diagnosed with cancer in November of 2022, and it’s been a battle. I was told that I was cancer free after a partial kidney removal in January of 2023, and that I would never have to worry about cancer coming back.  Then one night I thought I was having a heart attack and went to the AHN on Agnew Road in 2024 and they told me you are not having a heart attack, but you have nodules on your lung. I was sent to Hillman Cancer Center and they told me that they are not sure it is cancer but they will scan me every three to six months which I have been doing. When I had one of the lung scans, my lung doctor called me and said that the scan showed a suspicious nodule on my thyroid and he sent me for a biopsy to Presbyterian Hospital and it came back that it was not cancer but I have the cancer gene and I must get scans regularly. Then on my fourth six-month CT scan of my kidney in March of this year my kidney cancer came back and I had to have my kidney removed on April 25th.

The night before my surgery April 24th my brother Duane called me that my sister-in-law KATHY found my 51-year-old nephew Duane Jr dead. My sister Suzon found her 28-year-old son Nicholas dead nine months earlier on July 24th.  Plus, to get bombarded with all the terrible social media on Facebook during such a very bad time in my life.  My family was really upset with me that I did not pull out of the mayor race. So, The Good Lord stepped in and said, “Curtis you should always listen to your family!” Well, I was defeated on November 5th. My family actually was happy and told me, “Curtis you didn’t lose, you won!”

I will be undergoing immunotherapy treatments at the Hillman Cancer Center for the next 10 months.

I sincerely want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers it truly hasn’t been easy, but I am very blessed and grateful that I was given the opportunity to serve my hometown as mayor for eight years and work thirty-two years in the Public Works Department. After forty years, it is time for my next chapter in my life.

God bless all of you, and God Bless Jeannette Pa!

Mayor
Curtis J Antoniak