Before Roman Catholic Church leaders anoint somebody as a saint, they assign a person—the Advocatus Diaboli—to make the argument against sainthood.
For the past seven years, Bill Colussy—who died shortly before Memorial Day at age 75—was the advocatus diaboli that Bridgeville Borough Council didn’t know it needed.
When council wanted to put “no smoking” signs in public parks, Colussy was the one to ask where the smoking section would be.
When council discussed new construction contracts, Colussy often wanted to know why the borough’s public works department couldn’t handle the work themselves.
When council approved a new garbage collection deal last year, Colussy cast the lone dissenting vote. He wanted Bridgeville to handle trash collection in-house.
He was also the only councilmember to vote against the council’s settlement with Bednar Farms Estates in 2013. Bridgeville might have faced financial disaster if it hadn’t settled, but Colussy wouldn’t budge.
“He stood for his conviction,”Mayor Pat DeBlasio told the Tribune-Review.
Indeed, councilman Colussy made his fellow borough officials work harder and work smarter than they might have otherwise had to, and the town is better off for it.
Council meets again on Monday, June 13 at 7 p.m.