Dec 8, 2002 By Amy Karpinsky 3 min read

Fayette County commissioner Sean M. Cavanagh said the State Ethics Commission has decided to close his case without initiating a full investigation. “I’ve been validated,” Cavanagh said. He said the latest attempt by his political enemies to soil his name backfired.

“I’ve been handcuffed. I’ve been arrested. I’ve been thrown off the ballot. I’ve had death threats. I’ve had bomb threats, and this was the latest dirty trick to try to destroy me,” he said. “But I’ve endured.”

He added that the fact that a predominately Republican commission threw out the complaint without further investigation showed how little validity the allegation had.

On Friday, Cavanagh’s attorney, former Democratic state attorney general candidate Jim Eisenhower of Harrisburg, said the State Ethics Commission met Wednesday night and reviewed the case and decided to close it without further investigation.

Cavanagh said an unknown individual had made the allegation that he shook down county employees for campaign contributions.

Ethics Commission officials said they couldn’t comment on any of Cavanagh’s comments. They said it’s against the law for them to confirm or deny any aspect of an ongoing investigation. They noted that the commission is only allowed to release information once an investigation is concluded.

With the 2003 primary on the horizon, Cavanagh said the allegation was an attempt to undermine his campaign.

“I’m saddened and disappointed that political people have to use underhanded and dirty tricks,” he said. Cavanagh first brought the investigation into the public spotlight during a commissioner’s meeting last month.

Cavanagh said although he knew he was innocent, it was difficult over the Thanksgiving holiday to wait for the decision from the commission. He said he was resentful that “Mr. Anonymous” filed a complaint and he wasn’t allowed to know who his accuser was. He said he will consider discussing with Eisenhower his legal options regarding action to determine who filed the complaint and plans to continue working hard for the people of Fayette County.

Saying that his children Carmen and Colleen are the most important things in his life, Cavanagh said the most important thing a man can leave his children is a good name.

“I never want to dishonor my children,” he said. Cavanagh said he remains the guy who fights for the people and called the allegation very cowardly. He said he was thankful to God and his wife and the people around him.

“The worst thing is for an innocent man to be accused,” he said.

However, he said now he can turn his attention to other things.

“I’m happy. I’m looking forward to a great victory in May. This is one of the first key defining moments of the campaign,” he said.

“This is a home run for Sean Cavanagh,” Eisenhower said. He added that the threshold to authorize a full-scale investigation is fairly low and it is uncommon to throw cases out at the level of which Cavanagh’s was dismissed.

“I take this as a vindication,” Eisenhower said. “It’s horrible to be accused of something like that.”