Erie board denies appeal of master electrician Anthony Harper’s license suspension

The City of Erie Building Code Board of Appeals on Monday denied an appeal by master electrician Anthony Harper of a four‑month suspension of his trades license that stemmed from the trades licensing board’s April 7, 2026 action.

Attorney John Meisner, representing Harper, argued the suspension was improper because "not once" does the city ordinance require a license holder to employ the apprentices they supervise and that the ordinance is unconstitutionally vague on that point. Meisner urged the board to limit its review to documents and facts that directly supported the April 7 decision.

City witnesses told a different story. Sam Santana, the city’s electrical inspector, described multiple inspections from 2023–2025 in which permits and addresses appeared incorrect and said he observed work that raised safety concerns. "I have been in the trades for 16, 17 years," Santana testified. "There’s a lot of stuff that’s going on here that, in my opinion, is going to get somebody hurt if apprentices or unqualified people with no licensing are working on their own without supervision."

Jake Benny, the city’s demolition coordinator and code enforcement officer, described three properties where he documented hazardous electrical work, and said he took 11 photos at one address showing wiring and open splices that required correction. Bureau chief Steven Yurkowitz said field checks and photographs showed installations that appeared to have been completed before permits were issued and that field staff reported instances of an apprentice (identified in the record as Jim Prozan) working on sites without a journeyman or master present.

Meisner objected to the admissibility or relevance of some older letters and to testimony he characterized as hearsay or documenting events after April 7, 2026. He reiterated that the legal question before the board was whether the ordinance gave Mr. Harper fair notice that supervision required employment of apprentices.

Board members asked city staff to confirm which building‑code and licensing provisions the city had adopted. City staff read aloud the applicable ordinance language, which states an apprentice "shall be supervised by a master or journeyman" and limits how many apprentices a single supervisor may oversee, and referenced the Uniform Construction Code and the National Electrical Code as the adopted technical standard.

After questions and discussion, a board member moved to deny the appeal. The motion carried, and the chair recorded a 5–0 vote to deny with two abstentions from members who had prior involvement in the licensing matter. The board announced that its action applies only to the specifics of this petition.