Was it political retribution or just a miscommunication?

The Steel Valley school board listened to both arguments at its meeting Tuesday, but in the end it voted to rehire a Munhall man who had been booted from his job of holding the first-down markers at high school football games after 16 years.

In fact, the board, at the suggestion of school director Vince Natale, voted to rehire all event staff individuals who had been replaced by teachers and to compose a formal policy on how the positions are to be filled in the future.

The only school director to vote against the action was Joe Ducar. School Director Edward McCallister was absent.

The issue was brought to light last week by Anthony DeMartino, chairman of the Munhall Sewer Authority, who publicly accused Athletic Director Shawn McCallister, Edward's brother, of removing him from his position holding the sticks at football games because of Shawn McCallister's political feud with Michael Terrick, executive director of the sewer authority.

Shawn McCallister spoke at Munhall council meetings in May and June demanding that the borough disband the sewer authority, claiming it was not necessary and was created only to provide a job for Mr. Terrick, a former Munhall councilman.

In a July 3 Post-Gazette article, Mr. DeMartino, along with borough and DEP officials, defended the formation of the authority and the hiring and job performance of Mr. Terrick. Mr. DeMartino said at the time he feared his comments would cost him his position on the football sidelines.

He said Shawn McCallister had spoken critically to him about Mr. Terrick's hiring last fall during a football game.

As the summer went by and Mr. DeMartino was not contacted by the district or given a schedule for the games, he suspected his fears were accurate.

On Tuesday, Mr. DeMartino told the board he left messages at the district's athletic office that went unanswered and didn't find out for certain that he would not be used for the football games until he bumped into Shawn McCallister several weeks ago.

Mr. DeMartino said Shawn McCallister told him he would not be getting his position back because he "wanted to go in a different direction this year."

At Tuesday's board meeting, Shawn McCallister made his first public comments about the situation, denying that he ever discussed the sewer authority with Mr. DeMartino or that politics had anything to do with the changes in the event staff.

Shawn McCallister said it has always been an unofficial policy of the district to offer the event positions to the teachers first and that in May he sent a letter to all teachers.

He said that this year there were "six or seven" people bumped from their spots by teachers, including the sidelines positions held by Mr. DeMartino and two friends. Shawn McCallister said one of the men who worked with Mr. DeMartino knew that teachers had taken the positions so he assumed that Mr. DeMartino knew that, too.

Acting board President Pam Terrick, Michael's wife, asked Shawn McCallister why he didn't let Mr. DeMartino know teachers were taking the jobs.

The athletic director denied that he received any phone messages from Mr. DeMartino and he said when he saw him in Best Buy he explained that teachers were taking the jobs. He said he told Mr. DeMartino he could be on a substitute list.

Among the other event staff workers who were replaced by teachers were Shawn McCallister's sisters, who had worked in the past as ticket takers at games. They can also get their positions back as a result of the board vote.

Mr. McCallister's explanation was supported by Mr. Ducar, who said it also was his understanding that the positions were to be offered to teachers before they were opened to the public.

Mr. Ducar said in recent years there have been a number of new teachers hired and that young teachers are likely more interested in the extra-duty positions than older teachers.

No other board member acknowledged that there was an informal agreement to offer the positions first to teachers and solicitor Donald Fetzko said it was not a requirement of the teachers' contract.

Mr. Terrick spoke on behalf of Mr. DeMartino and asked the board to reinstate him as did Munhall resident David Cannon, husband of school director Beth Cannon. Also speaking in support of Mr. DeMartino was Munhall Councilman Dan Lloyd.

Some board members questioned why the board has not been given a list of event staff to approve this year or in the past.

Shawn McCallister and Mr. Ducar said the positions are not supplemental positions as described in the teachers' contract and therefore did not need to come before the board, but were simply assigned by the athletic director. The jobs pay a stipend.

Whether or not they will be voted on in the future is expected to be determined in the policy created by the board.