Scott Campanaro #

Introduction #

Scott Campanaro is a former code enforcement officer for the city of Altoona, Pennsylvania, who was terminated in August 2026 after he wrote a racist reply to a resident’s Facebook post about the Altoona Area School District’s new clear bag policy for sporting events. “The city has terminated Scott Campanaro, a former codes officer who made ‘inappropriate and insensitive’ comments online last week that were ’not indicative of who we are as a city,’” City Manager Chris McGuire announced at a press conference, noting the city had cited four violations of city policy and its code of conduct in the investigation that followed.

Background Information #

Campanaro worked as a code enforcement officer for the city of Altoona, a city of about 43,000 people in Blair County. The exchange that ended his employment began under a resident’s Facebook post about the Altoona Area School District implementing a clear bag policy for sporting events at Mansion Park, the high school’s athletic stadium. In reply, Campanaro wrote: “…you could just prevent Negroes from going. Might seem racist — but it is not wrong.” The comment circulated in the community before city officials became aware of it and moved against him.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

Allegations. The claims in this section come from the City of Altoona’s suspension, investigation, and termination process and its public statements about them. The comment was never criminally charged and the termination has not been litigated in court; Campanaro has not publicly disputed that the comment was his, and no appeal appears in the available reporting.

The controversy centers on the Facebook comment itself. In reply to a resident’s post about the clear bag policy, Campanaro wrote: “…you could just prevent Negroes from going. Might seem racist — but it is not wrong.” The comment was widely shared and screenshotted in the community, and the city’s response proceeded on the undisputed fact of the comment: a same-week suspension, investigation, Loudermill hearing, and termination for four violations of city policy and the code of conduct. City officials characterized the remark as “inappropriate and insensitive” and “not indicative of who we are as a city,” and declined to detail the other violations cited, which remain a protected personnel matter. Campanaro has not publicly disputed that the comment was his.

On the Tuesday before his termination, officials held a Loudermill hearing — the pre-termination proceeding required for public employees with collective bargaining rights — and after it concluded, the city decided Campanaro would no longer be an employee of Altoona. Officials cited four violations of current city policy and the code of conduct in reaching that decision.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The city’s leadership publicly and repeatedly disavowed the comment. “We deeply regret the pain that it has caused within the community with the insensitive remarks,” McGuire said. “It’s not indicative of who we are as a city.” He emphasized that city officials believe in equal opportunity and supporting the entire community, and said the city had already scheduled sensitivity and harassment training for staff before the incident — training that will now be expanded. “We’re going to double down on our efforts to make sure that everybody goes through training and understands that their words matter,” McGuire said, “and even though it might be your own personal belief or opinion, that you’re not going to express that and impact the city in any way.”

Human Resources Director Christina Notarfrancesco said McGuire, Mayor Matt Pacifico, and city council gave her department and the codes department the approval and support to act quickly. “A lot of times, these things can take several days to handle, and they were all incredibly proactive, which made the process more efficient and effective,” she said. The city also began the process of backfilling Campanaro’s position.

Current Status #

Campanaro’s termination stands. He had been a city code enforcement officer until the August 26, 2026, termination announced at McGuire’s Wednesday morning press conference, following a suspension that stripped him of his office, computer, and vehicle while the internal investigation ran its course. The Altoona Mirror’s report did not indicate that Campanaro has publicly disputed the city’s account or the characterization of his comment, and no appeal or legal challenge by him appears in the available reporting.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The comment cost Campanaro a mid-career public job in an afternoon cycle: reported, suspended, investigated, heard, and terminated within roughly a week, with the city citing four separate policy violations rather than the single Facebook reply alone. McGuire stressed the broader lesson the city drew for its workforce — that social media posts on personal accounts have a direct impact on the city and its citizens, and that city employees are held to a “higher standard.” For Campanaro, the remark he treated as a casual retort beneath a neighbor’s post is now the first thing attached to his name in public records, and the firing has become the local reference point for what Altoona will and will not tolerate from the officials who enforce its codes.