Sherman names appointee to tax assessment appeals board
Washington County Commissioner Nick Sherman’s appointee to the tax assessment appeals board – his administrative assistant Patrick Geho – was unanimously approved along with veteran commissioners’ holdovers on the board.
Members of the board were sworn in Tuesday after the vote in advance of convening Jan. 30.
Debbie Bardella, Washington County recorder of deeds and head of the Washington County tax revenue department, said compensation for the chairman of the assessment appeals board is $13,000 per year, while for the other two board members it is $12,000.
John Rheel, appointee of Commission Vice Chairman Larry Maggi, has been chairman, his replacement could be Bill West, appointee of Commission Chairman Diana Irey Vaughan.
Republicans are in control of the first majority board of commissioners in this century.
West is a real estate agent while Rheel retired from the state police and is former Washington County sheriff, mirroring Maggi’s career.
Geho volunteered for Sherman’s most recent campaign for county commissioner and on behalf of Republican candidates, who were able to sweep all contested row office races in November.
He was campaign manager for Republican Rick Saccone, who lost to Republican Conor Lamb in a 2018 Congressional special election that drew international attention. Geho also worked for former state senator Melissa Hart and Gov. Tom Corbett.
He worked for the Department of Community and Economic Development under both Corbett and former governor Ed Rendell as a real estate analyst from 2003-06 for the State Tax Equalization Board, with Washington County as one his assigned areas.
Geho’s compensation on the tax assessment appeals board will be in addition to his $48,975 salary as Sherman’s administrative assistant.
Former Washington mayor Anthony “Sonny” Spossey’s appointment to the tax assessment appeals board expired with the term of Democratic Commissioner Harlan Shober, who appointed him. Sherman defeated Shober in the November election.
In another personnel-related matter, attorney Jana Phillis Grimm represented the law firm of Steptoe and Johnson, LLP, at the commissioners meeting.
The county solicitor’s contract, including compensation, has not yet been finalized, but Grimm said she expects it to be on the agenda at the next meeting, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. Jan. 23.
The commissioners approved a baker’s dozen of agenda items with the proviso, “pending the solicitor’s review.”
The commissioners officially took office Monday, when Grimm was given a sheaf of action items.
“Our solicitor is reviewing every contract and will be updating the language in every contract,” Irey Vaughan said. “We found a few contracts that we believe the language should be changed.”