Pittsburgh City Councilman Joe Cusick has refused requests to step down from his seat on the City Council. No one seems surprised.

Councilman Cusick just spent the month of January in an out-of-state alcohol rehabilitation program, his fourth such rehab attempt. His performance had been less than stellar and several meetings were missed, reportedly due to his excessive drinking. When initally confronted, Cusick often denied any problem. Eventually he admitted the need for help. Then Cusick appeared to back-pedal. In a December 19th meeting he agreed to check himself in to a rehab center. Yet over a week later he still had not done so, avoiding phone calls from his fellow Council members. Finally he began a thirty-day stay.

Now, before local media, Cusick refused to go down without a fight. He will finish out his term, saying he owes it to the 4th District voters who elected him and that he will not be "bullied" out of office. Allegations of crack cocaine abuse and addiction, combined with a $1,200 payment to a known drug dealer, hover over Cusick like the Sword of Damocles. With petitions for impeachment being circulated, it seems many of his constituents would like that sword to fall.

Apparently the hanging blade did not plummet, as as an investigative panel later dismissed charges of neglect of duty against the councilman, much to the relief of his staff and community support groups. While noting his constant absences and other shortcomings in Cusick's personal conduct, the panel's 38-page report concluded that his duties were nevertheless fulfilled. Common Pleas Judge Robert E. Dauer formally dismissed the impeachment charge brought by a Beechview couple and a Brookline Democratic committeeman.

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