PITTSBURGH -- Some East End residents signed a petition to impeach a local councilwoman even though the district attorney's investigation is not complete.

The issue: Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle's use of more than $175,000 in public funds.

Carlisle authorized the money in payments to consultants, some of whom had personal and political connections to the councilwoman.

Despite an attempt to deliver a knockout punch, Carlisle had her chin up but her mouth closed at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

"I'm here today to serve a petition on our 9th District councilwoman and asking for an investigation," said impeachment petitioner Ora Lee Carroll.

An East Liberty neighborhood activist, Carroll filed a petition for impeachment containing 40 signatures at the County Prothonotary's Office and then delivered it to City Council as Carlisle sat quietly and listened.

"But I say to you today -- and I've said it to you before -- what goes around comes around. And it's coming around," Carroll said.

Carlisle's staff said she was unavailable for comment even though her car had been parked outside the city County Building all day.

But if she did talk to Channel 4 Action News, what she might say is that the impeachment proceeding against her doesn't have a chance of succeeding. That's because while Pittsburgh's city charter allows for an impeachment of Carlisle by her fellow council members and overseen by a Common Pleas Court judge, the state constitution does not.

The constitution says "removal requires the elected official's conviction of an infamous crime or the common law crime of misbehavior in office."

Carlisle hasn't been convicted of any crime, yet.

"The Home Rule Charter provides for an impeachment, but as you have pointed out to me and certainly in previous cases that were decided in he Commonwealth, that we don't have the ability to do that. It is reserved to the state," said Councilman Doug Shields.

Even though the Pennsylvania constitution says only a state court can remove an elected official from office after conviction, Tuesday's impeachment filing will still have to be decided by a judge.

If that judge decides there are reasonable grounds for Carlisle's removal from office, City Council would hold court and decide Carlisle's fate.

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