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Community Corner

Battavio should refrain from participating in the Interview process to fill the position vacated by Thom Clapper.

If you live in East Goshen Township, make your voices heard...

If you have not heard, Montajean Gay, a candidate in this November Election for East Goshen Board of Supervisor, has been given the opportunity to interview to fill the position vacated by Thom Clapper and to serve until the end of this year's term.  We believe Ms. Gay should be given a fair chance to interview without any direct bias. Therefore we request that Carmen Battavio, member of the Board of Supervisor and also a candidate in the November election, should refrain from participating in the interview process. This interview is to occur on June 25, 2013

On page 8, of the Township Supervisors Handbook, it states the following:

    "Township supervisors should be very careful to avoid the possibility of conflict between their personal and private interests and their role as public officers. The Public Officials and Employees Ethics Act states the people have a right to be assured the financial interests of public officers do not conflict with the public trust. (38)

    In any issue brought before the board of supervisors where an individual member has a conflict of interest, or there is an appearance of a conflict of interest, that supervisor should refrain from voting on the issue. Pennsylvania courts have long upheld as a fundamental public policy principle the rule that members of a governmental body cannot vote on any matter where they have a direct personal interest.(39)"

38. 65 Pa.C.S.A. 1101.1; Ethics Standards and Financial Disclosure, Section 1101.1.
39. Consumers Education and Protective Assn. v. Schwartz, 432 A.2d 173, 495 Pa. 10, at 17, 1981.
We believe based on the above information, Carmen Battavio should refrain from participating in the Interview process to fill the position vacated my Thom Clapper.  But Senya Isayeff, Chairman of the Board, believes otherwise, when he stated the following, "[Mr. Battavio] ...has the duty and responsibility, as an elected Township Supervisor representing the Township residents, to participate in the discussion and vote to appoint an interim Supervisor."

Mr. Isayeff seems to believe that all supervisors should always be trusted in everything they do, because they are doing their job. Therefore they should never recuse themselves even when there are financial interest involved?

We believe Carmen Battavio has a financial interest (the supervisor's salary) in Montajean not beating him in November.  His chances of winning in November are greatly increased if Montajean is not appointed on June 25th.
 
We believe in the interest of fairness he should recuse himself from the interview process.

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