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Residents urge recusal of councilmember and removal of Duane Morris from city investigation
Summary
Multiple residents asked the council to remove Duane Morris from a city investigation and to have Councilmember Candida Afa recuse herself from matters related to that probe; council counsel and an attorney clarified the selection process during the meeting.
Several residents asked the Allentown City Council to remove the Duane Morris law firm from an ongoing investigation and for Councilmember Candida Afa to recuse herself from any decision‑making on the matter.
Karen Ocasio, identifying herself as a Southside resident, said petition signers were “deeply concerned regarding Mayor Matt Turk’s recent actions and inactions and City Council board member Candida Afa,” and urged the council to place on an upcoming agenda a vote requiring Afa to recuse herself from the investigation. Ocasio and other speakers alleged posts on social media created a conflict of interest.
Amber Clark and Barbara Redmond spoke in support of the petition. April Reddick told the council she had collected what she said was evidence of a Facebook post and warned elected officials that public social media comments by officials can be used in investigations.
Counsel clarification
Mary K. Brown, an attorney with Brown Nemeroff, said she and another attorney drafted a rubric to assess organizations that might conduct the investigation and that counsel—not Ms. Brown or the council president—selected Duane Morris to perform the work. Brown told the council she was not involved in the selection and that no budget details were shared with applicants. The attorney asked the public to note that there are two attorneys named Mary involved in related matters and suggested a misunderstanding might exist.
No formal recusal or removal motion was taken during the meeting. Speakers requested the council place the recusal and law‑firm removal requests on a future agenda; council members and counsel acknowledged those requests and clarified that formal committee or council action would be required to change counsel assignments.
