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Officials in Uniontown seek state intervention to remove treasurer

3 min read
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Officials in the city of Uniontown want the state to intervene to remove Antoinette Hodge from her treasurer’s post.

City Solicitor Tim Witt said council members formally asked Hodge, who is currently running for reelection, to step down from the post after she was charged with allegedly stealing nearly $107,000 in tax payments made to her office in December, and last week was charged with allegedly stealing $112,000 from a group of churches.

Since Hodge, 53, refused, “the city has formally requested that state officials take all actions necessary to remove Ms. Hodge from office,” Witt said.

As an elected treasurer, Pennsylvania law allows for Hodge’s removal if she is convicted of a felony, or if state lawmakers remove her, Witt said.

For that to happen, state Sen. Pat Stefano said Monday, the state House of Representatives would have to vote to impeach Hodge. Then, he said, the state Senate would have to conduct hearings. A two-thirds vote in the Senate is required to remove her.

That hasn’t happened since 1891, said Stefano, R-Bullskin Township.

“It’s very difficult for the Legislature to remove a duly-elected official,” Stefano said.

Part of the reason, he noted, is that state officials who are outside of the area feel reluctant to interfere in local politics. Stefano said there’s also a danger in state government intervention, since everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Hodge’s attorney has stated that she maintains her innocence.

Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa, R-Smithfield, whose district covers Uniontown, said while the crimes Hodge is accused of may be shocking, at this point they are only accusations.

“If she is found guilty, I would support her impeachment,” Grimm Krupa said.

Witt said since the initial charges were filed against Hodge related to the alleged theft of tax payments, council has implemented safeguards to ensure all money that comes into the treasurer’s office is accounted for.

In the charges filed last week, Hodge was accused of stealing $112,484 from Youghiogheny Western Baptist Association (YWBA), a religious association with 27 individual churches in multiple counties, including Fayette and Greene.

Police alleged as the chairperson of the YWBA board, Hodge took over the association’s bank accounts, putting them behind on bills, real estate tax payments and reliant on other churches for financial help.

Hodge is free on unsecured bond, and faces preliminary hearings on both cases on May 24 at 1:30 p.m. Next Tuesday, Hodge, a Democrat, faces a primary challenge from Francis Joby Palumbo for the treasurer’s post. No Republicans have filed to run for the seat.

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