Greene treasurer candidate was subject of ethics probe
JEFFERSON – A Jefferson man running for Greene County treasurer was the subject of a Pennsylvania Ethics Commission investigation last year that found that he unintentionally violated the state Ethics Act as a member of the Jefferson-Morgan School Board. However, Cory Grandel said the complaint that led to the probe was political in nature, and the inconsistent manner in which the district was following school board policy, as well as the large number of new board members at the time, contributed to a confusing situation that led to the unintentional violation.
The investigation centered on Grandel’s actions as school board treasurer, a position he still holds.
An order released by the ethics commission in September indicates that Grandel was directed to pay $700 as part of a consent agreement.
According to the order, Grandel unintentionally violated the Ethics Act when he took part in the votes in which he was elected board treasurer on Dec. 6, 1999, and re-elected June 26, 2000. Also, the order states, Grandel committed an unintentional violation by participating in board votes to approve payments and co-signing checks issued to himself as the school board treasurer.
At the time of his appointment, Grandel was unaware of the board policy that the position carried with it a stipend, according to the order, and from December 1999 to
June 2000, he received no compensation.
During the meeting in which he was re-elected treasurer, the school board offered to pay Grandel a $600 annual stipend, which he accepted.
The ethics commission said Grandel unintentionally violated the Ethics Act when he co-signed four checks totaling $899 for his own stipend as board treasurer between July 2000 and July 2001.
School district checks require the treasurer’s signature and that of the business administrator, and in the treasurer’s absence, the board president has signature authority.
Additionally, as a member of the board, Grandel took part in the votes to approve payment of bills, which included three of the four stipend payments to himself, the order states.
He specifically voted no on payment of one of the bills.
Grandel abstained from voting at the June 18, 2001, meeting in which he was re-elected board treasurer, after learning that a board member in the neighboring Bethlehem-Center School District had been found in violation of the Ethics Act for participating in votes to elect herself to the compensated positions of board secretary or treasurer, according to the order.
Thereafter, the order states, Grandel took part in unanimous votes to pay bills, including payments of his stipend, on Nov. 19, 2001, and March 18, 2002, and he signed two checks issued to him for board treasurer.
Emphasizing that the violations were “unintentional,” Grandel said the matter was politically motivated, and he questioned why it has come to light just before the May 20 primary.
“The current mudslinging can be best understood by attempting to understand the truth of the full story,” Grandel said. “This situation was public knowledge since last year, and I find it very interesting that we are dealing with this issue at this time. This situation was reviewed and ruled that there was no intentional violation or wrongdoing.”
Board President Ellen Hildebrand agreed with Grandel’s assessment that the manner in which the district was following policy and the number of new school board members at the time Grandel took office contributed to the situation.
“It’s a really gray area,” she said.
Hildebrand was one of the new board members in 1999 and agreed that board policies, including the matter of a stipend for the treasurer, were not being followed consistently.
“We didn’t even have a policy manual to know about the stipend,” she said.
Additionally, she said, sloppy paperwork, such as last-minute addendums handed out at board meetings, aggravated the confusion.
She said that whoever filed the complaint was concerned more about politics than ethics, and that person took advantage of the inexperience of the new board members, including herself and Grandel.
Noting that he was completely unaware that he had done anything wrong, Grandel said he agreed to pay a portion of the stipend, $700, back “to keep this simple situation uncomplicated.”
He said his record speaks for itself.
“In my 31/2 years on the board, I have been elected to treasurer four times, all four times by unanimous vote,” he said.