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HomeMy WebLinkAbout97-586 SzymoniakFritz Szymoniak Township Manager Jackson Township 140 Magill Road Zelienople, PA 16063 STATE ETHICS COMMISSION 309 FINANCE BUILDING P.O. BOX 11470 HARRISBURG, PA 1 71 08 -1 470 TELEPHONE (717) 783 -1610 ADVICE OF COUNSEL June 16, 1997 97 -586 Re: Conflict, Public Official /Employee, Chairman, Board of Supervisors, Business with which Associated; Purchase of Lights; Contract; Sale. Dear Mr. Szymoniak: This responds to your letter of May 14, 1997 in which you requested advice from the State Ethics Commission. Issue: Whether the Public Official and Employee Ethics Law presents any prohibition or restrictions upon the Chairman of a Township Board of Supervisors regarding the sale of lights to the Township by a business with which he is associated. Facts: As the Township Manager for Jackson Township, you request an advisory from the State Ethics Commission on behalf of DeWayne Majors (Majors), the Chairman of the Jackson Township Board of Supervisors. Majors is the owner of a business, Hufnagel & Majors, and has 50 watt portable lights for sale for $ 14.57 each for a total of $87.42. The Township is in need of the lights and could not find a price close to this anywhere else. You state that you are well aware that the Township should not do business with Hufnagel & Majors because Majors is a Supervisor; however, the purchase of these lights would save the Township money and provide a needed item. You seek an advisory from this Commission as to how this matter should be handled. Discussion: It is initially noted that pursuant to Sections 7(10) and 7(11) of the Ethics Law, 65 P.S. §§407(10), (11), advisories are issued to the requestor based upon the facts which the requestor has submitted. In issuing the advisory based upon the facts which the requestor has submitted, the Commission does not engage in an independent investigation of the facts, nor does it speculate as to facts which have not been submitted. It is the burden of the requestor to truthfully disclose all of the material facts relevant to the inquiry. 65 P.S. § §407(10), (11). An advisory only Szvmoniak /Majors, 97 -586 June 16, 1997 Page 2 affords a defense to the extent the requestor has truthfully disclosed all of the material facts. As Chairman for the Jackson Township Board of Supervisors, DeWayne Majors (Majors) is a public official as that term is defined under the Ethics Law, and hence he is subject to the provisions of that law. Section 3(a) of the Ethics Law provides: Section 3. Restricted Activities. (a) No public official or public employee shall engage in conduct that constitutes a conflict of interest. The following terms are defined in the Ethics Law as follows: Section 2. Definitions. "Conflict or conflict of interest." Use by a public official or public employee of the authority of his office or employment or any confidential information received through his holding public office or employment for the private pecuniary benefit of himself, a member of his immediate family or a business with which he or a member of his immediate family is associated. "Conflict" or "conflict of interest" does not include an action having a de minimis economic impact or which affects to the same degree a class consisting of the general public or a subclass consisting of an industry, occupation or other group which includes the public official or public employee, a member of his immediate family or a business with which he or a member of his immediate family is associated. "Business with which he is associated." Any business in which the person or a member of the person's immediate family is a director, officer, owner, employee or has a financial interest. In addition, Sections 3(b) and 3(c) of the Ethics Law provide in part that no person shall offer to a public official /employee anything of monetary value and no public official /employee shall solicit or accept anything of monetary value based upon the understanding that the vote, official action, or judgement of the public official /employee would be influenced thereby. Reference is made to these provisions of the law not to imply that there has been or will be any transgression thereof but merely to provide a complete response to the question presented. Section 3(f) of the Ethics Law provides as follows: Section 3. Restricted activities (f) No public official or public employee or his spouse or child or any business in which the person or his Szymoniak /Majors, 97 -586 June 16, 1997 Page 3 spouse or child is associated shall enter into any contract valued at $500 or more with the governmental body with which the public official or public employee is associated or any subcontract valued at $500 or more with any person who has been awarded a contract with the governmental body with which the public official or public employee is associated, unless the contract has been awarded through an open and public process, including prior public notice and subsequent public disclosure of all proposals considered and contracts awarded. In such a case, the public official or public employee shall not have any supervisory or overall responsibility for the implementation or administration of the contract. Any contract or subcontract made in violation of this subsection shall be voidable by a court of competent jurisdiction if the suit is commenced within 90 days of the making of the contract or subcontract. Parenthetically, where contracting is otherwise allowed or where there appears to be no express prohibitions to such contracting, the above particular provision of the law would require that an open and public process must be used in all situations where a public official /employee is otherwise appropriately contracting with his own governmental body, or subcontracting with any person who has been awarded a contract with the governmental body, in an amount of $500.00 or more. This open and public process would require that the following be observed as to the contract with the governmental body: (1) prior public notice of the employment or contracting possibility; (2) sufficient time for a reasonable and prudent competitor /applicant to be able to prepare and present an application or proposal; (3) public disclosure of all applications or proposals considered; and (4) public disclosure of the contract awarded and offered and accepted. Section 3(f) of the Ethics Law also requires that the public official /employee may not have any supervisory or overall responsibility as to the implementation or administration of the contract with the governmental body. Section 3(j) of the Ethics Law provides as follows: Section 3. Restricted activities (j) Where voting conflicts are not otherwise addressed by the Constitution of Pennsylvania or by any law, rule, regulation, order or ordinance, the following procedure shall be employed. Any public official or public employee who in the discharge of his official duties would be required to vote on a matter that would result in a conflict of interest shall abstain from voting and, prior to the vote being taken, publicly announce and disclose the nature of his interest, as a public record in a written memorandum Szymoniak /Majors, 97 -586 June 16, 1997 Page 4 filed with the person responsible for recording the minutes of the meeting at which the vote is taken, provided that whenever a governing body would be unable to take any action on a matter before it because the number of members of the body required to abstain from voting under the provisions of this section makes the majority or other legally required vote of approval unattainable, then such members shall be permitted to vote if disclosures are made as otherwise provided herein. In the case of a three - member governing body of a political subdivision, where one member has abstained from voting as a result of a conflict of interest, and the remaining two members of the governing body have cast opposing votes, the member who has abstained shall be permitted to vote to break the tie vote if disclosure is made as otherwise provided herein. If a conflict exists, Section 3(j) requires the public official /employee to abstain and to publicly disclose the abstention and reasons for same, both orally and by filing a written memorandum to that effect with the person recording the minutes or supervisor. In applying Section 3(a) of the Ethics Law as to the instant matter, Majors would have a conflict as to the purchase of the lights from Hufnagel & Majors which is a business with which he is associated under the Ethics Law since he is an owner of that business. Thus, Majors could not participate as to the award of the contract to purchase the lights and must observe the written and oral disclosure requirements of Section 3(j) of the Ethics Law. See, Juliante, Order 809. Regarding Section 3(f) of the Ethics Law, that provision would not have application since the contracting in this case is under the $500 threshold of Section 3(f). See, Perino, Order 980. The propriety of the proposed conduct has only been addressed under the Ethics Law; the applicability of any other statute, code, ordinance, regulation or other code of conduct other than the Ethics Law has not been considered in that they do not involve an interpretation of the Ethics Law. Specifically not addressed herein is the applicability of the Second Class Township Code. Conclusion: As Chairman for the Jackson Township Board of Supervisors, DeWayne Majors (Majors) is a public official subject to the provisions of the Ethics Law. A Township Supervisor under Section 3(a) of the Ethics Law has a conflict as to the purchase by the Township of lights from a business with which the Supervisor is associated. The Supervisor must abstain from participation as to matters involving the lights purchase and must satisfy the disclosure requirements of Section 3(j) of the Ethics Law noted above. Lastly, the propriety of the proposed conduct has only been addressed under the Ethics Law. Pursuant to Section 7(11), this Advice is a complete defense in any enforcement proceeding initiated by the Commission, and evidence of good faith conduct in any other civil or criminal proceeding, providing the requestor has disclosed truthfully all the material facts and committed the acts complained of in reliance on the Advice given. Szymoniak /Majors, 97 -586 June 16, 1997 Page 5 This letter is a public record and will be made available as such. Finally, if you disagree with this Advice or if you have any reason to challenge same, you may appeal the Advice to the full Commission. A personal appearance before the Commission will be scheduled and a formal Opinion will be issued by the Commission. Any such appeal must be in writing and must be actually received at the Commission within thirty (30) days of the date of this Advice pursuant to 51 Pa. Code §13.2(h). The appeal may be received at the Commission by hand delivery, United States mail, delivery service, or by FAX transmission (717- 787 - 0806). Failure to file such an appeal at the Commission within thirty (30) days may result in the dismissal of the appeal. ncerely, Vincent J. Dopko Chief Counsel