Mar 15, 2021 5 min read

Prior to the November 2019 election that saw Republicans take control of Washington County government, I warned of what the result would be if the Democratic majority were removed by voters (Observer-Reporter, Sept. 8 2019). My fear was that replacing a well-functioning board that placed good government before partisan politics and ideological preferences would not end well.

Unfortunately, my concerns have become a reality, as evidenced by recent events. The Republicans are committed to frivolously spend taxpayer dollars and to stir up their Trump base of voters.

The latest revelations as reported in this newspaper are alarming. First, there were the March 4 disclosures concerning the new county contracted solicitor, Jana Grimm, and her law firm, Steptoe and Johnson. The Republican commissioners increased the allotment for the solicitor’s legal services from an already extravagant $142,577 to $189,000, an increase of 33%.

It is not shocking that Diana Irey Vaughan would choose a new solicitor once she was in a position to do so. It is disturbing that the Republican commissioners would create an outside “legal division” utilizing a boutique business law firm such as Steptoe and Johnson. Such firms traditionally bill from $300 to $400 an hour, well above the going rate of qualified Washington County firms.

The claim that this move will save the county money is simply not accurate based on prior expenditures. If the Republicans intend to stand by this claim, they should be prepared to provide an accounting of hours worked and services provided at the end of the year.

Ironically, the well-regarded Washington law firm of Peacock Keller is located in the same building as the soon-to-be Republican commissioners’ offices (the plush, new, $10 million Crossroads Building). Peacock Keller is more familiar with Washington County legal issues and has specialists in all types of municipal law.

The second revelation was not unexpected in the present environment of right-wing ideological politics, as practiced by elected Pennsylvania Republicans. Again, on March 4, the same day that QAnon predicted Donald Trump would retake the White House, Washington County was declared a Second Amendment Sanctuary County.

According to the enthusiastic explanation given by Commissioner Irey Vaughn on local newscasts, this resolution was intended to give physical shelter to gun owners when state and federal officials illegally come to confiscate their guns. The message in the resolution is that elected Democrats are closet communists intent on trampling Second Amendment rights. The resolution is red meat for Trump voters and militia members.

Why pass a meaningless but divisive resolution? Where are the pandemic resolutions honoring county first responders and medical personnel? How about a bipartisan ceremony to show respect for all of our residents who lost their lives to COVID-19 or those who have perished from gun violence? Perhaps a plaque for Commissioner Larry Maggi for driving many miles to participate in an early coronavirus vaccine trial that could have threatened his good health. Apparently, keeping Trump supporters in the fold is more important than showing empathy and moral courage as an elected Republican commissioner.

My last topic is the most troubling of all. The Republican commissioners have been assembling an audacious plan to revamp all of the county human service functions under one inflexible umbrella.

Presently in Washington County, there are several well-funded, well-run human service nonprofits. These organizations oversee functions such as drug and alcohol and the elderly/aging. Each has flourished under the leadership of their independent management teams and boards of directors. Each self-sustaining organization has important contacts with both Washington County and state officials in conducting their specialized services and in meeting regulatory requirements. As an example, the independent/nonprofit county drug and alcohol commission has become a national model in addressing opioid overdoses by bringing together all interested parties.

The existing structure is decentralized in a good way by giving focus and input to those participants who provide and receive the specific services outlined in each nonprofit’s mission statement. The system not only works, it achieves a traditional Republican goal by lowering county expenditures and reducing payroll and overhead.

No one outside the Republican inner circle is quite sure of the provisions in the human services reorganization plan. There has been no apparent attempt to involve the affected agencies. However, the fear exists that a new, monolithic human services department would swallow up the existing nonprofits like a giant amoeba.

Years of relationship building, funding sources and careers could be lost or altered. There is little confidence that a transition could go smoothly. Many of the participants, including knowledgeable Republicans, foresee chaos.

Washington County citizens who receive services from these drug and alcohol, aging and mental health organizations must demand that whatever grand plan is in play be exposed and explained. This should include public hearings on each proposal affecting the delivery of human services.

The boring, predictable days when county government was taken for granted and trusted to provide the best solutions has passed. We must remain vigilant and challenge everything that does not add up.

Gary Stout is a Washington attorney.