The Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission in 2025 reprimanded a handful of elected officials for profiting from their official posts by hiring relatives, granting themselves paid positions and failing to meet transparency requirements.
These investigations involved
- a township supervisor who allegedly voted to award a road resurfacing project to the company where he works;
- a borough council member accused of helping direct municipal grants to a nonprofit led by his daughter;
- a township supervisor accused of unilaterally firing a municipal employee and hiring his brother to fill the vacancy;
- a mayor accused of using a city-owned dumpster to clean out her house;
- a township supervisor who reportedly earned more than $33,000 as a consultant for her own municipality, and
- a borough council member accused of hiring his two sons to do park projects.
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Consulting work in Delaware County
The commission investigated a Delaware County township supervisor who voted to appoint herself as a municipal consultant, a position that netted her more than $33,000 in pay, according to the ethics findings.
The Chadds Ford Township manager originally suggested creating the consulting role because she was overwhelmed with her responsibilities and needed help with stormwater inspections and contract negotiations. She noticed that the township supervisor, Samantha Reiner, had some experience in those areas…