Council orders statement, policy work after political mailer used GreenTree logo without authorization

Councilors on Nov. 4 directed the borough manager and solicitor to publish an immediate statement clarifying that a political mailer distributed by the GreenTree Democratic Committee that used the borough logo was not authorized or affiliated with GreenTree Borough. The motion also directed the borough solicitor to draft a policy governing third-party use of the borough logo to prevent misleading or deceptive use in the future.

Several residents raised the issue during public comment and described receiving the mailer ahead of the election. The solicitor explained the Democratic committee that distributed the piece “is not affiliated with the borough of GreenTree,” said the borough did not approve the mailer, and noted the borough lacks a registered trademark or copyright on the logo. The solicitor advised that allegations of election-law violations should be directed to the Pennsylvania Department of State or Allegheny County Elections Division because borough council lacks jurisdiction over election administration.

Mayoral and council remarks framed the item as a protection-of-public-trust issue: the mayor said the borough will issue a clarifying statement and asked the finance/administration committee and solicitor to draft a policy requiring permission to use the logo. The motion called for staff to publish the clarifying statement using official borough communication methods before 7 a.m. the next day; council completed a roll-call vote and recorded affirmative votes, and the motion passed.