Category: Delco

Delco Council Defends Public Defender Over Turmoil Claim — Delaware County (Pa) Council vigorously defended Public Defender Chris Welsh over a charge that he has his office in turmoil and lacks experience.

John Baldini (sp) of Upper Darby, a former attorney with the office, said Welsh has only handled one trial while his predecessors had handled dozens including murder trials. He also said his predecessors had only fired a handful of attorneys in their long tenure while Welsh has fired 15 in his two years.

Councilwoman  Elaine Paul Schaefer praised Welsh and supported his goal of using attorneys who only work for the Public Defender’s Office and are not distracted by a private practice.

Councilman  Kevin M. Madden joined in the love saying trial experience wasn’t important for what Welsh did.

Great.

Council, however, has expressed concern about staff shortages regarding CYS and poll workers. We kind of wonder how much they will have to pay to keep the public defender’s office filled if the only attorneys they have are full-time yet skilled enough to thrive in a private practice.

Of course, if no one is getting arrested maybe there isn’t a need for a big staff.

Delco Council Defends Public Defender Over Turmoil Claim

Prison Again Before Delco Council — Delaware County (Pa.) Council, Feb.21, approved a three-year contract with BSI Construction LLC for construction management services at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility.

The amount is not to exceed $1,265,000.

Prison maintenance was an issue at the Feb. 7 council meeting. A large contingent of prison personnel — many in uniform — said there were thousands of OSHA violations at the facility. They described a jail where locks didn’t work and prisoners was tasked to fix them. Did they? Apparently not. They did use the materials they were given to make shivs, though, council was told.

At this meeting, former corrections officer Christine Weiss of Glen Mills told council that she was forced to resign after she followed prescribed policy against the wishes of her superiors.

She wanted answers as to why this was allowed to happen. Ms. Weiss said that she emailed Councilman  Kevin M. Madden, who chair’s the Jail Oversight Board, but did not get a response.

Kimberly Brown of Colwyn also spoke out about perceived attempts to silence her regarding prison matters. She said that Madden refused to read her email at the previous meeting of the Oversight Board which was held via Zoom due to snow. The reason for the refusal was because she did not include her exact address.

She noted that speakers at the council meeting are not required to state their exact address.

Ms. Brown played a recording of comments Madden made at the meeting. She said she was very mad at him because she had supported him in his election due to his promise of prison oversight.

She said she now thinks he is “protecting certain people at the prison.”

Madden said he doesn’t respond to queries about personnel matters and that those commenting before the Jail Oversight Board are required to give their full address.

Prison Again Before Delco Council

Register Of Wills Pick Gets Delco Council Blasted — Delaware County (Pa) Council was blasted, last night, Feb. 21, for its Jan. 2 appointment of Vincent A. Rongione as Register of Wills.

Rongione was sworn in Jan. 26 for a term which will end December 2025.

He replaces Rachel Ezzell Berry who won election in November for judge on county Common Pleas Court.

Joy Schwartz, of Upper Darby, who ran for County Council in November, pointed out to council that Rongione copped a plea deal in 2015 for violations of the election code relating to his unsuccessful 2014 bid to represent the 163rd District in the State House.

Rongione did not live in the district despite claiming otherwise. He pleaded guilty to unlawful voting, and making false statements and signatures on nominating petitions.

Rongione became Upper Darby’s chief administrative office in 2020 but quit in January 2023 in the midst of a firestorm that occurred when the township treasurer told township council that the balance of some bank accounts were lower than they should have been. One of these housed the funds the township received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA.

No charges were filed this time but one can’t call the controversy a resume enhancer.

So why was Rongione picked?

Democrats do get rewarded for loyalty it seems regardless as to how that translates to good governance.

Wonder what Rongione thinks about all the election “conspiracy theories” relating to Delaware County.

Register Of Wills Pick Gets Delco Council Blasted

Delco Council Concedes Problems With CYS; Stymied How To Solve Them — Delaware County (Pa) Council, last night, Feb. 21, in a break from its routine had a long back-and-forth with the citizens.

Possibly it was productive but we won’t hold our breaths.

The county’s Children and Youth Services department was the big topic.

Rael LaPenta of Upper Chichester questioned the hiring of CAI, a billion-dollar consulting firm, to review and draft new policies for CYS and to provide training.

Ms. LaPenta was among the parents who appeared before council two weeks ago to tell horror stories of taken children and lost jobs due to unfounded actions by CYS.

Last night, she pointed out that among the consultants CAI plans to unleash on Delco is Paula Griffin who will be among those tasked to conduct candidate searches, and complete screening and employment interviews for candidates.

Ms. Griffin directed Lehigh County’s Children and Youth Services until her retirement in October.

That was when a scandal broke alleging CYS was taking children from parents based on false claims of child abuse. The children were given to Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN). They were put in extended, unsupervised emergency room stays. The families said the hospital would get state agencies to remove custody.

LVHN is being sued.

Ms. LaPenta also took issue with the council’s standard statement that the members are available for questions via email. She said that she had contacted them all without hearing back.

Councilwoman  Christine A. Reuther, in a break from protocol, interrupted Ms. LaPenta. She had been in contact — it was in a phone call, Feb. 20 — and Ms. Griffin was among the issues discussed.

She said Ms.Griffin was the one from Lehigh County, but that the lawsuit doesn’t disqualify her and that she passed a background check.

It looks like she’s coming to Delco.

Ms. LaPenta conceded that they talked but noted that she had not heard from the others. She had been trying to reach all for some time.

In the second round of public comments, Ms. LaPenta said she did not mean to be antagonistic. She said, though, she followed the appropriate routes and her life remains in turmoil.

“What is the appropriate amount of time for a person who has lost her children to stop being upset,” she said.

She said that many in her group feared retaliation by CYS.

“It is your responsibility not just as council members but as human beings to act,” she said.

Ms. Reuther said that she believes a lot of what Ms. LaPenta told her.

She said CYS has been given “awesome powers” by the state, and that a bill has just passed the state senate which would give CYS agencies even more.

She agreed that a review of the department was necessary but that she was afraid to intervene in specific cases because she lacked expertise.

Ms. Reuther said there is local state agency at which complaints can be filed regarding CYS, albeit Ms. LaPenta had long been aware of it.

Council Chairwoman Dr. Monica Taylor said that Ms. LaPenta had not received responses because it had been assumed that Ms. Reuther was handling the matter.

Two months ago, we reviewed The Dirty Secrets of Divorce or What Your Lawyer Won’t Tell You by Renee Mazer. The book details horror stories from Chester County concerning her divorce and her involvement with that county’s family courts process. She says collusion between judges, social workers and lawyers was shameless and profitable for them.

She lost access to her son for a very long time.

We suggest that Ms. Reuther not sell herself short. She has the power and expertise to resolve this. Start by considering the incidents where a parent lost lawful custody due to a claim of abuse solely on the word of an angry ex, as opposed to hospital workers or school officials.

Are there commonalities? The same judge? Same lawyers? Could there be money changing hands?

Don’t dismiss that. Read Ms. Mazer’s book.

Further, Ms. Reuther can call in those running CYS. She can tell them to make things right with Ms. LaPenta, as well as with Ashley Green of Ridley Park and Sharon Poole of Glenn Mills, who had similar experiences.

She can give directions that special care be made when dealing with accusations involving exes.

It’s your time to shine, Christine. So there you are.

More stores concerning the meeting to follow.