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Public commenters allege county town hall favored Art Haywood; board and solicitor say town halls are nonpartisan
Summary
During public comment on May 18, a Republican committee representative and other speakers accused a county commissioner of using taxpayer resources to promote a campaign call for Sen. Art Haywood; the county said concerns were referred to the ethics commission and defended its town‑hall outreach as nonpartisan.
During public comment at the Montgomery County Election Board meeting on May 18, Lisa Berry, identifying herself as a representative of the Montgomery County Republican Committee, alleged that a county commissioner "used taxpayer dollars to send out a text to voters in Montgomery County to host a campaign call with senator Art Haywood" and said the county committee has filed an ethics violation with the state ethics commission.
"It is totally unacceptable for the county to be hosting campaign events using taxpayer dollars," Lisa Berry (speaker 6) told the board. "The commissioner should reimburse taxpayers for this expense, and the county should prohibit this type of a dishonest activity in the future." She also asked about more than 160 incorrect mail‑in ballots sent in Upper Dublin Township and what happened to the original ballots.
Another public commenter (speaker 2) raised a related concern after an election in Rockledge, saying an elected Republican who could not serve was replaced for the election by an appointed Democrat and that party leaders had not been notified. "I don't think it's appropriate to replace an elected Republican with an appointed Democrat in a judge of election position," the commenter said.
Board members responded that ethics questions that require legal review had been or would be referred to the appropriate authorities. The transcript records a board representative saying, "from the solicitor's office perspective, this was a town hall to provide information to the public," and several commissioners defended the outreach as nonpartisan information designed to inform voters of the upcoming primary and outreach activities that included members across the political spectrum.
Board members also urged colleagues to raise internal concerns with the solicitor rather than through partisan press releases. The meeting record shows an ethics commission review was pending; no formal board disciplinary action was taken at the meeting.
The exchange became heated at times, with at least one person at the table interrupting public commenters and the Chair calling for decorum. The solicitor's office and county staff indicated they will await the ethics commission's findings; the board took no formal action on the ethics complaint during the May 18 session.
