The Diseases of National and Local Government Corruption
How the Federal Government and Local Governments really aren’t that different, why it hurts everyone, and why it should stop.
Many agree the events that have been occurring in Washington, D.C., in recent years (especially since the 2016 election), have been destructive to our country’s political processes. These events, especially those in the past few months, have been compared to that of Nixon’s Watergate. They have caused bitter, petty, and unproductive debates, which have been sprinkled with character assassinations, and have divided our population into factions of truth versus ‘fake news’. They have also, arguably, caused decorum, protocol, ethics, and in some cases — legality, to be thrown out the window, entirely.
The New Nixon?
If you follow politics at the national level to any extent, on any platform — either in print or in digital format, it can be quite dizzying. There is a lot of information from so many sources; and, there are so many characters — both good and bad. Each story and incident has a diverse amount of moving parts, and are abound with drama. To many people, Trump’s decision to allegedly skirt around ethical behaviors, procedures, and laws; ignore decorum, and lack empathy to many marginalized and afflicted people is disturbing to many, to say the least. It is even more disturbing that so many people that Trump surrounds himself with follow his lead of these tactics. Things have been occurring so consistently in this manner, that many are numb and have no reaction, when new valid concerns and information are released to the public. The most recent incidents that dominate news outlets as of the date of this article consist of: the indictment of Roger Stone; the continued clashes between President Trump and Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; as well as the bitter (yet tentative?) end to the longest and arguably the most painful government shutdown in our country’s history. In addition, there are the insinuations that the President may have encouraged people close to him, such as Michael Cohen or others to lie or perjure themselves; although, time will tell, as the Mueller investigation continues. This same sort of behavior is what led to President Nixon’s impeachment and eventual resignation, in the era of Watergate.
All while these things unfold — many proven, yet some not, Trump and White House officials consistently offer diversions, cause divisions amongst the public, and consistently claim that the information being shared are just lies to make him look bad; which to some, means that certain officials assume that the public is not paying attention, or that they are not intelligent enough to put the pieces together. Unfortunately, this also happens at the local level. It has been happening in society for millennia — so much so that in the second century A.D., the Roman poet Juvenal coined a phrase for it: “Panem et Circenses”, which is a Latin phrase that means “Bread and Games”. This is in reference to the notion that politicians will distract the population with food and entertainment, while corruption ensues. To many, this is one of the many causes that led to the fall of the Roman Republic. It seems that societies fall into old habits, if they are left unchecked. This thought can be applied to all levels of government.
A Presidential Candidate, A Protest, and Politics
In the Summer of 2016, then-candidate Donald Trump visited my hometown of Monessen, at the alleged request of the mayor at the time: Democrat Lou Mavrakis. At that point, for me, politics was something that I paid attention to in the periphery. I was out of college for a year, trying to figure out my next moves, and fully engulfed in volunteering with organizations that I cared about within my community, all while teaching band students as the Assistant Band Director at my high school alma mater. At that point in 2016, I understood politics at a basic level — enough to make informed decisions when I voted, but not enough to know the extreme details. Concerned by Trump’s proposed visit, because of what he stood for (and still stands for), some friends and I decided to have a counter-protest rally across the street from where Trump was to speak. It was planned loosely on social media, the day before his appearance. I had never done or been a part of anything like that before. Our rally had nearly 100 diverse people — black, white, brown, young, and old, and spanning multiple generations. The youngest person was Five years old, and the oldest was 90. The attendees were energetic, informed, and respectful, as far as protests go. Little did I know, that particular event in my life would catapult me into a deeper understanding of politics, and a deeper level of caring and personal commitment to do what I could for my hometown, and for the region.
In 2017, I announced candidacy, and won the Democratic Primary and the General Election. At the age of 26, I was elected Monessen’s 20th Mayor — becoming its youngest. I was sworn into office on January 2, 2018. Two days into office, I discovered what I thought to be potential pension fraud. My decision to look into the matter catapulted me into the current state of affairs, with its many moving parts, comparable to a soap opera, or a story that could rival a script that is somewhere between Parks and Recreation and The Office, sprinkled with a little bit of The West Wing.
A City On A Hill
Monessen, Pennsylvania is a small third class city, on a hilly terrain, about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh, along the Monongahela River. It is situated within the Mid-Mon Valley. It is currently home to about 7,000 people; but, at its height, its population peaked slightly above 20,000. It was founded in 1898, in part, by businessmen and investors from Pittsburgh, seeking to expand industry south of Pittsburgh. A few years after its founding, Monessen became an industrial hub, central to five county seats, connected to Pittsburgh via the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie (P&LE) Railroad, and home to numerous industries, including Carnegie Steel (later, Pittsburgh Steel), the American Tin Plate Company, and Page’s Woven Wire and Fence Company. All of these served the needs of Pittsburgh’s economic demands, as well as those of the growing municipalities around Monessen and beyond.
Throughout the 20th century, Monessen and its leaders amassed great political strength to accomplish many popular projects and events at the time; including massive urban renewal projects and infrastructure upgrades, as well as visits from Presidents John F. Kennedy, William Howard Taft, Warren G. Harding, and Harry S. Truman (although, Kennedy was the only one to visit Monessen while still serving in the White House, in 1962). At this point in time, Monessen was depicted as “a city in action”.
Same Old Games
Corruption is not a new story in neither Monessen, nor the nation. Throughout the early and mid-20th century, Monessen was filled with instances of ethics issues and potential illegalities. There was even a raid on a local gambling joint, whose story made it to Collier Magazine, in the November 25, 1950 edition. The article entitled, “Something is Rotten in the State of Pennsylvania — Gambling Racket” by Gordon Schendel lays out a storyline which could have rivaled that out of any film noir crime movie. The operation involved one of the biggest illegal gambling operations on the eastern seaboard, at the time. Back then, it was widely acceptable and harder to stop. Even residents at the time, were in support of some of these actions, because they felt that even though questionable activities were happening, positive things were getting done in the community, due to the money and political power that were gained in the process. Many former and current politicians as well as older residents remark that the current occurrences in Monessen are much worse than those of the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s.
At the national level in the 1900’s, organized crime ruled cities, prohibition turned everyday citizens into bootleggers and average criminals, and the depression led many people to turn to theft, in order to survive. Just like today, local and national corruption went hand in hand.
Now that we’ve moved into the 21st century, not much has changed, unfortunately. Issues at the national level have dominated the press, in regards to collusion, deception, and the ongoing Mueller investigation. Unfortunately, issues at state and local levels often go unnoticed. Ethics issues, white collar crime, and corruption directly impact the tax payers and the progress of a community, and benefit only a few people, as opposed to the benefitting the community as a whole. This is especially true of a community that must revive itself. The tax payers at a local level are even more directly impacted than those at higher levels of government.
The Present State of Affairs — Pension Funds and Anger
As I mentioned earlier, at the beginning of my term in 2018, I suspected potential pension fraud. In December 2017, weeks prior to me taking office, my predecessor and his council hired a new Monessen police pension fund administrator, after placing an advertisement for the position in a local newspaper, that Summer. The position was allegedly filled because council at the time, claimed they wanted to ‘try something new’. It seemed the well-performed services of the long time pension fund administrator were no longer wanted. Instead, the council of the time, hired George Matta, the brother of a naming partner in the law firm employed by the City of Monessen, as solicitors. The company, Fusion Investments (which has since merged into Rayliant Global Advisors) was hired against the wishes of the Monessen Police Pension Board (who voted against the transfer, three times); had the same address and suite number as the law firm; and, according to Auditor General DePasquale, had no documentation on the transfer or hiring.
I mentioned my concerns to the Pennsylvania Auditor General DePasquale, and he decided to look into the matter. A few months later, in April 2018, state officials from the Auditor General’s office visited city hall in a preliminary meeting, in order to go over the findings of the audit, before finalizing them. At the meeting, when the issue was raised by state officials of potential violations of PA Act 44 of 2009 (which is the statute defining the concerns I had), city council and solicitors seemed furious, claiming that the whole thing was political. It seemed that they felt I was out to get them, and that I had no business contacting the state about the issues. I simply wanted to find out the truth. The auditor general released his audit findings in July 2018, which can be found online, by any member of the public.
It is the duty of the Mayor to uphold the laws of the local government, and to make sure that things are being followed according to the law. All I want to do is the right thing, and it seems that I am being stopped from doing that. I was certainly not going to let something like this go unreported and swept under the rug; and then have the whole thing pinned on me later, nor would I allow the situation to create further liability for the city.
On May 10, 2018, before the scheduled Council Meeting at Monessen City Hall, I was met with angry opposition from my city council. They were upset and demanded my resignation over statements I made, regarding litigation that has since been settled, involving one of several of the sexual harassment allegation suits against my predecessor, from a city employee.
The statement in question is that I told the employee that a Councilperson called her a name. I felt that she had a right to know that. I also told her that I felt that Council was sexist and biased. She took that information to her lawyer, and council was informed of it, claiming that I was divulging legal strategy. That is not the case, because to my knowledge, I was not even informed of our legal strategy in the first place. Secondly, the case was settled, and I do not feel that my statements to her had any bearing on the case; however, I do feel that my predecessor’s remarks on local news station WTAE had bearing. His remarks were allegedly so vulgar, they could not be aired on television. The employee’s attorney requested the unedited recording for court purposes.
On this same day, council demanded my resignation, telling me that they did not want me there, that I needed to resign, that my political career would be over, and that if I were to quit this would all go away. What did they mean by that?
I refused to resign. They said that they would be reading a proclamation vote of no confidence at the meeting (which has no legal bearing). I told them, “you do what you need to do, and I’ll do what I need to do”, and I walked out of the building.
In regards to removing a Mayor from office: it should be said that the Pennsylvania Constitution spells out the procedures. In Article VI the Pennsylvania constitution mentions that “The House of Representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment.” ( § 4); that “All impeachments shall be tried by the Senate. (§ 5); and that “All civil officers elected by the people…shall be removed by the Governor for reasonable cause, after due notice and full hearing, on the address of two-thirds of the Senate.” (§ 7 ); and that any “statute that conflicts with the removal provisions provided under this section is unconstitutional unless the statute that provides for the alternative removal process predates this section.” The only way for a Mayor to be removed from office is if under “conviction of misbehavior in office or of any infamous crime”.
A Long Summer, A Long Year
After the events of May 2018, it seemed for me, personally, that the Summer would never end. The drama ensued throughout the Summer, and still continues to this day. Since leaving before the May 10, 2018 meeting, I have not returned to council meetings. An additional Councilman, Gil Coles has not returned to meetings either. He has been absent since February 2018, for much of the same reasons that I have.
On Memorial Day weekend, one of our council members died unexpectedly, leaving a vacancy on the council. Pennsylvania Third Class City code states that if council does not appoint a new member within 30 days, it will go to the county judges for them to decide. I spent the Summer filibustering the council meetings to avoid my predecessor, or anyone else who I felt could be damaging to the city, from getting appointed by council members.
Over the summer, council members and their friends continued to harass me, attempting to confuse people and create a diversion, so that the public would have a difficult time trying to follow what was really going on. At a public meeting, one council member went as far as to say that the public should go to my house with torches and pitchforks, and hogtie me. He claims it was taken out of context; but, I find it hard to see how something like that can be taken out of context.
In August 2018, after 60 days, the county appointed a new councilwoman. Unfortunately, things have not gotten much better since then. The remaining two council members continued to be difficult, and continue to attempt to stir public resentment. I have even been told that I should stop talking to the public so much. I have continuously been trying to inform the public, as well as state and federal officials what has been happening in Monessen, with the pension situation, the potential ethics issues, as well as the harassment and intimidation.
It is my belief that the harassment I am facing has stemmed from my decision to have the pension fund administrator transfer investigated; but, that it continues because I am continuing to attempt to bring things to light, including the questionable sale of the former Monessen Municipal Complex building. This retaliation against Councilman Coles and I could be a violation of the Civil Rights Act; seeing as it is unlawful to retaliate against people who are trying to bring potentially nefarious things to light. If council members and solicitors are not involved in any of these questionable practices, I do not see why they should have the reaction they have been having; nor do I see why they should be against trying to legitimately address and remedy all of these concerns and bring them to light, for the good of the city and its taxpayers.
In the fall, on a Saturday morning at 9am, I went into my office at City Hall to check on my mail, and have a meeting with representatives from a local company, interested in regional and economic development in Monessen, from an academic standpoint. After giving them a tour of the city, and returning them to city hall so they could collect their things, one of the council members, along with his friend who is on our city’s redevelopment authority were in the building. The councilman proceeded to tell me that I had no business being in city hall, and that I can only be there during the work day. That would be quite difficult, seeing as I work out of town, at my ‘day job’, during regular business hours.
I feel that this is because there is paranoia that I will continue to find documents and improprieties, and report them to the proper authorities. At the following council meeting, the councilman waved my photo around, which he had allegedly taken from the cameras in city hall. I later learned that the Monessen Police Department did not have access to those cameras. In November of 2018, council admitted to changing the alarm system code.
Redevelopment Authority Appointments
In December 2018, I appointed a resident to a seat on the city’s redevelopment authority. Each year, one seat expires, and according to Pennsylvania State Urban Redevelopment Law, the Mayor has sole appointment power. The resident that I appointed quickly resigned due to the backlash that was received by council. The backlash was not towards her, but towards me, for making the appointment in the first place. At a public meeting my predecessor, who is also the redevelopment authority chairman, claimed that the redevelopment authority members ‘voted’ to recognize Councilman Orzechowski as the Mayor, and that the redevelopment authority board would not recognize anyone that I appoint. It seems that Monessen has two ‘councils’, one who sits in the audience and stays behind the scenes, and directly drives actions of the city, and the other one, who sits at the council table in an official capacity.
After the resident resigned, I appointed another resident, who is also a city employee (since this is an unpaid volunteer position, this is lawful). I swore him in, and had his signed oath notarized. At a following council meeting, Councilman Orzechowski, the Vice President of council reappointed the member whose seat was expiring. He did this after learning that I had made my appointment and swore the appointee in. This, of course, creates questions of legality, which I feel will need to be taken to a court of law, much like many of the other issues currently occurring in the city. It also raises many questions about past and current practices of the Monessen Redevelopment Authority; however, that is for another day.
An ‘Acting Mayor’?
Most recently, the issues have continued. I have continued to attempt to bring my same concerns to light and to the public. Council continues to claim I am lying, without proving how I am lying about the entire situation. In late 2018, council wrote a second letter to the Pennsylvania Governor demanding my removal from office (at the cost of Monessen’s taxpayers). Following that, council issued a resolution, declaring that Councilman Coles and I have neglected our duties, and they ‘appointed’ Councilman Orzechowski (who serves as Vice President of Council) as the ‘acting mayor’, because of my alleged inability to perform my duties. It seems to me that this move is unlawful and could also violate the Pennsylvania Constitution, seeing as my alleged inabilities to perform my duties have, in large part, been created by council.
The ‘Nuclear’ Building
One last major concern that I will mention here, which I have been trying to address, is the questionable sale of the former Monessen Municipal Complex, otherwise known as Eastgate 8. The building is a four-story, concrete, commercial structure, originally built to house the now-defunct Mon Valley Health and Welfare Authority. For nearly ten years, the building housed Monessen City operations, after they vacated a 1920’s structure in mid-downtown. In 2016/2017, the building was sold to Krishnan Suthanthiran, and his Company, Best Medical (although, according to county records, the owner appears to be Gunston Hall Realty, another company of Suthanthiran’s, which had gone through bankruptcy).
In 2015, there was a resolution from Monessen City Council for the sale of three different properties, one of which was Eastgate 8. They sold one property soon after that, but the other two (Eastgate 8 and Eastgate 11) they were not able to sell together, like they wanted to. After a previous unsuccessful buyer, Mr. Suthanthiran purchased the building. He also bought the former Brownsville Hospital, several miles away from Monessen; as well as a ‘ghost town’ in Canada and has done nothing to them.
A special meeting was held on December 3, 2016 to take action on bids received for the municipal complex. Another special meeting was held on December 15, 2016 to take action on a letter of intent to sell the property. On January 23, 2017, the solicitor asked for a motion to approve a promissory note. Mr. Suthanthiran bid $435,000, of which council agreed on.
At the January 23, 2017 Monessen City Council meeting, the city sold Eastgate 8 with a promissory note to Best Medical for a total of $435,000, with financing by the city of $190,000 over 5 years in accordance with the letter of intent, pending solicitor’s approval. The down payment check was dated for March 13, 2017, in the amount of $235,000. According to a copy of a city receipt, signed by the Treasurer’s office, the check was not received until April 19, 2017. There is reason to believe the check was held by a member of the former council, between March 13th and April 19th.
A deed for the property transfer is dated May 1, 2017. A promissory note agreement was made by the city and the buyer, on July 5, 2017. It states that the promissory note has a balance of $190,000, which will be made to the city in balloon payments, and that there will be quarterly interest payments of $950.00. The city has been receiving the interest payments, thus far.
Many feel that the building sale was invalidly made, and is not in accordance with Pennsylvania Third Class City Code, specifically 11 Pa.C.S.A. § 12402(b)(4), which provides that, all bids must be accepted on the condition that payment of the purchase price in full shall be made within 60 days of the acceptance of bids. The 60th day would have been February 3, 2017.
Many also feel that the city should not be acting as a financial institution, and that a third party lender should be acting in this capacity, not a city government. Lastly, as of the date of this article, payment in full has not been received by the City of Monessen Treasurer’s Office for the sale of the Monessen Municipal Complex. On August 9, 2018, the taxes for the property were reduced, giving a tax cut to a millionaire, when months later Monessen Council raised taxes by 6 mills, putting and increased burden on the city’s residents.
The Canadian Publication, the National Post issued an article, “Millionaire who bought B.C. ghost town — complete with 302 empty homes — under investigation for money laundering in Belgium”. It appears that Mr. Suthanthiran is being investigated by the Canadian Government, as well as the Kingdom of Belgium for potential money laundering in connection with Best Medical acquiring the Belgian company, Nordion.
A French language publication, Le Vif published an article, “Fleurus: un danger radioactif” which, after being translated, mentions that “in total, sixteen buckets (bottles) of strontium 90 and 180 bags of waste containing strontium were discovered during a visit by the supervisory authorities”. The Belgian Interior Minister called it an “unacceptable situation”. Strontium 90 is a radioactive isotope of strontium produced by nuclear fission, with a half-life of 28.8 years. Strontium-90 has applications in medicine and industry and is an isotope of concern in fallout from nuclear weapons and nuclear accidents.
In late 2018, the Pennsylvania DEP issued a nuclear waste permit to cover the Eastgate 8 building in Monessen; however, that permit would not cover substances such as Strontium-90.
The situation regarding the question of legality of the sale of Eastgate 8, as well as safety concerns about Nuclear Waste storage have been on the minds of many Monessen residents. Since the building is located on a flood plain, near a river, residences, and businesses, it is unclear what damage could be done to the community, if an accident occurs.
Not Alone…
Unfortunately, Monessen is not alone, when it comes to local government corruption. Other municipalities across Pennsylvania, such as the Cities of Duquesne, Allentown, and Reading, have recently been in the headlines over the past few years, for corruption. Many of these instances involve white collar crimes, such as pension fraud, embezzlement, bribery, harassment, and campaign finance violations. Other larger, major cities across the country, such as Chicago and Baltimore, have been fighting public corruption, or (depending on which side you are on) continuing public corruption, for years.
Corruption at any level halts equitable, and long-lasting progress; especially, at the local level, in communities that have already suffered economic losses, population decline, crime and drug issues, and so many other issues that plague both urban and rural communities. By taking the power away from tax payers, or silencing naysayers who want to combat questionable practices, the progress that is preached about and that is desired for our local communities can never successfully be attained, in a long-term and equitable way.
…But Together
Cleaning up corruption at the local level can only effectively come from two ways: the support of informed taxpayers; and the involvement of agencies at the state, and sometimes, federal levels. By ending these kinds of practices, we can all get back to work rebuilding fair and equitable communities, in order to attract a diverse and well-prepared workforce. This in turn will support residents already living in these municipalities, and will help raise the quality of life, so that everyone may lead more fulfilling and productive lives, under the law, and the way they see fit.
Residents in their communities should seek to be well-informed, ask more questions out in the open, keep the press accountable, and make sure that their tax money is going towards services and initiatives that are above board, and that have a positive impact on themselves, their families, and their communities.
If residents see or suspect corruption occurring, they should contact state and federal officials, and encourage them to investigate matters. Local corruption eventually climbs up the ladder to state and federal corruption, and we all know what that looks like both in Washington, D.C, as well as our own communities.
