SHADYSIDE — Despite months of public outcry for transparency, village council again went behind closed doors for an hour on Monday.

Thirty minutes into its regularly scheduled meeting Monday evening, Councilman Brandon Parr made a motion for council to go into executive session to discuss the security of a public office. Included in the session with council were Mayor Robert Newhart, Law Director Kelly Kotur, Village Administrator Erica Tamburin, and lawyer Pat Cassidy of the Cassidy Law firm in Wheeling.

Councilman Sam Carpino objected to the private session. He said he believes he is being targeted by Tamburin and that he is tired of dealing with the secretive nature of council going behind closed doors.

Councilman Robert “Bushwacker” Gorrell asked how the executive session could happen when Tamburin wasn’t present at the meeting. Gorrell was informed by Newhart that Tamburin would be in attendance for the closed-door session.

Council decided to enter executive session, but Carpino decided to exclude himself from that session.

In December of 2024, Carpino was the subject of a criminal investigation stemming from the purchase of a tractor owned by a public board. The allegation of wrongdoing against Carpino originally came to light when a village employee was reviewing finance records and noticed the sale.

Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan previously said criminal charges were never filed against Carpino, but his office has not declined the possibility of filing charges.

Tamburin has been absent from council meetings for months due to former Shadyside Village Council member Nick Ferrelli being accused of stalking Tamburin. In August, Ferrelli accepted a plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

After council returned from the hour-long executive session, Tamburin was gone. She could not be reached for comment.

Resident Rich Parker asked council when it will make a decision to end the turmoil in the village.

Kotur said that she and council cannot speak about the matter publicly because it is still an active court case. Ferrelli interjected, saying that his court case is over.

Kotur replied that she and council are doing their best to address the matter but unfortunately cannot make any comments currently.

Ferrelli also spoke during the meeting’s open public forum.

He said he believes that the village will run more efficiently after the upcoming mayoral election in November. He said that regardless if he or council member Mike Meintel, who Ferrelli is running against, becomes the village’s new mayor.

He told council that he didn’t need any of the council members to respond but asked if its members believe council has been more or less effective since he stepped down in 2023.

“​​Think about it going forward and ask yourself. What’s the plan here? What’s the plan for the future of this village? Because four months from now, we’re pretty much all going to still be here,” Ferrelli said. “It’s either going to be my problem or Mike’s (Meintel) problem, but it’s still all of our problems, so what’s the plan here?”

Council didn’t respond.