SCRANTON — The city plans to appoint Doris Koloski to the city Human Relations Commission to fill an unexpired term of former member Michael Villa, who resigned after getting charged in connection with incidents at a local school and hospital.
Villa, 29, of South Side, was appointed to the commission in November of 2022 to fill a vacant term that expires Feb. 23, 2026, but had been absent from that board for some time, going back to 2023, officials had said.
On Sept. 19, Villa was arrested after showing up at West Scranton High School requesting a tour, but when denied began acting erratically and left, according to a criminal complaint. The Scranton School District put all of its buildings on lockdown. Police soon located Villa and took him into custody and to Geisinger Community Medical Center for a mental health evaluation. There, Villa threw his cellphone at a hospital security guard, hitting the employee in the head with the phone, the complaint said.
Charges of trespass and assault remain pending in Lackawanna County Court. During a preliminary hearing in September, defense attorney Ben Stanton referenced Villa having underlying mental health issues and said, “We’re hoping to get him into a (mental-health treatment) program to address those things.”
Villa has since resigned from the commission, according to legislation pending before Scranton City Council to appoint Koloski to the commission for the remainder of the term that expires Feb. 23. An appointment resolution from the Cognetti administration does not give a date of Villa’s resignation, but he was still a commission member at the time of the Sept. 19 incidents.
The Human Relations Commission receives and investigates complaints filed by people who believe they have been a victim of unlawful discrimination.
A resident of the Hill Section, Koloski, 80, is civically active in the city and the Hill neighborhood. She frequently speaks during public comment portions of Scranton City Council meetings about various issues and matters.
About a year ago, Koloski succeeded in advocating for a County of Lackawanna Transit System bus stop shelter to get installed at the corner of 401 Colfax Ave. and Mulberry Street for patients and visitors of Geisinger Community Medical Center who use bus transportation.
This past Tuesday, Scranton City Council unanimously introduced a resolution from Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti’s administration to appoint Koloski to fill the Villa vacancy on the Human Relations Commission, according to an Electric City Television simulcast and video of the meeting shown online via YouTube. Council President Gerald Smurl and members Bill King, Mark McAndrew, Jessica Rothchild and Tom Schuster all voted yes to introduce the resolution.
The resolution will come back before council for a vote on adoption at council’s meeting this coming Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.
MONDAY UPDATE
THEN: Michael Villa, a member of Scranton’s Human Relations Commission, was charged with trespass and assault in connection with incidents on Sept. 19 at a school and hospital.
NOW: Villa has since resigned from the commission and the city plans to appoint Doris Koloski to fill the vacancy on the board.