Four new faces are expected to join the Jefferson Hills Economic Development Commission in April, after four members resigned in protest of a new ordinance removing elected officials from the commission.

In March, council passed an ordinance barring any borough or elected officials from serving on the Economic Development Commission.

The ordinance was originally intended to remove non-voting members Mayor Michael Green and council member Jeff Weir from the commission.

Green and Weir wanted to step down from the commission, but the ordinance eventually included all of the elected officials.

Council president Chris King said adding the removal of all elected officials to the ordinance made sense.

"As elected officials, you are very involved in the regular required activities and responsibilities that come with the position," King said. "Some people may be able to devote more time to other committees and boards, but council felt it would like more involvement from more residents."

One member, Shauna D'Alessandro, serves as an elected official. She is the president of the West Jefferson Hills School Board. Although the ordinance would have allowed her finish the term, expiring in July, she resigned.

As a show of unity, commission president Michelle Rash and members Bill Kunkel Karen May also resigned.

The EDC started in 2006 to help stimulate economic growth, while taking residential concerns into consideration. The group meets monthly to discuss ways to bring quality businesses to the borough.

The original commission had five members, and Green and Weir, though three new members were added before the resignations. The resignations left unexpected openings council is expecting to fill this month.

"We have enough letters submitted that we can fill those positions," King said. "Council is in the process of reviewing them so we can get the commission up and running again."

May said she expressed her disapproval for the ordinance in the early stages of discussion. She said the commission's concerns were never taken into consideration.

"Shauna is really the only elected official on any board or commission in the borough," Rash said. "I could see if there were a ton of elected officials serving on boards and commissions, but there was only one, and she was on our commission.

"Why we were targeted for this ordinance or the way it came about, we don't understand. We were shocked."

The board meshed well, Rash said, leaving her to question if the move was politically motivated.

"We just felt like we didn't sign up to be sucked into a political machine," Rash said. "We wanted to do something good for the community. It wasn't appropriate to omit elected officials from our commission."

D'Alessandro declined to comment on whether the ordinance was politically motivated, but was glad the members of the commission stood behind her performance and decision to resign.

"I'm not going to speculate on (if I was targeted)," D'Alessandro said. "Given what my fellow commission members have said, I'm thankful for their beliefs in my performance both professionally and as a member of the school district."

In their letter of resignation, the four members said council failed to recognize the correlation between a strong school system and its impact on local economic development.

Though the EDC was the only organization the ordinance named, King said it could be expanded to other boards and commissions.

"My personal opinion is that it should be applied to every board and commission," King said. "It's probably going to be recommended."