By ERIC SEIVERLING
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Two Washington County commissioners are firing back at state Rep. Bud Cook, R-West Pike Run Township, after he suggested they recuse themselves from the county election committee and the June 2 primary.
Republican commissioners Diana Irey Vaughan and Nick Sherman addressed Cook’s comments Wednesday after he released a statement Tuesday saying he sent the commissioners a certified letter on May 19, asking them to “set this election out,” due to Vaughan and Sherman endorsing and campaigning for Cook’s opponent Tony Bottino Jr. Cook is seeking a third, two-year term. Bottino is challenging Cook for the Republican nomination in the primary.
Cook claims both commissioners are involved in his current Right to Know request and ongoing court case involving procurement of Local Share Account records and documents, as well as Vaughan’s previous involvement in overseeing the election office operations in Washington County. Cook stated her time overseeing the operations “has been controversial and arguably biased.”
“Several absentee ballots were misplaced, questionable provisional ballots were accepted and to my knowledge at least one absentee ballot from that contest remains missing to this day,” Cook stated in his letter.
Cook was referring to his last election against Steve Toprani. Cook won that contest by 11 votes after a month-long process that included counting absentee, military and provisional ballots.
Sherman defended himself and colleague Irey Vaughan.
“Rep. Cook claims to be concerned but he is confused,” Sherman stated. “My job as commissioner is to ensure that the election process is fair and transparent, I campaigned on it. This is why Commissioner Irey Vaughan and I established the bipartisan election review committee. The committee’s function is to advise and observe and present recommendations, which they are actively doing.”
The 11-member Washington County Election Review Committee was formed in February to promote transparency and restore public trust in the county’s election system.
“When we received his letter, it was immediately turned over to the county’s solicitor (Jana Phillis Grimm),” Vaughan said. “There was nothing to give us reason to recuse ourselves from the election.
“There are so many duties for the election committee, ranging from approving cleaning services to processing how ballots are brought back. Other than one absentee ballot in 2018, I’ve never personally handled a ballot and I don’t anticipate handling a ballot in this election. I don’t understand how there can be a conflict in our responsibilities.”
Earlier this year, Cook filed a lawsuit against the county’s redevelopment authority, stating the LSA’s proceeds from gambling are not being directed to the intended recipients.
“From our past experiences in Washington County there continues to be a pattern of nothing to see here, lack of fair accountable and transparency in county operations,” Cook’s letter stated. “Our current Right to Know battle seeking LSA (Local Share Account Funds) Property Tax Reductions Funds from casino gaming is only the most recent example of questionable operations with the commissioner in Washington County.”
Vaughan said Cook’s dispute is not with the county, but with the county’s redevelopment authority, and she said documents Cook is asking to see are all open to the public.
“Why that would be referenced, I don’t know,” she said.
“Rep. Cook’s confusion continues with his statement about the LSA,” Sherman said. “I ran on improving this program but to make a statement that there is no transparency when all documents are open to the public is purposefully misleading.”
If Vaughan and Sherman refuse to voluntarily recuse themselves from the primary election, Cook said he will consider pursuing legal action to remove them from the upcoming contest and will also pursue having attorneys present in the election office on Election Day.
“Representatives of candidates, including official watchers, are always welcome on election night,” Vaughn said.
Cook represents the 49th legislative district, which comprises parts of Fayette County including Franklin, Jefferson and Washington townships and Belle Vernon, Fayette City and Newell boroughs; part of Washington County, including the city of Monongahela, townships of Carroll, Fallowfield, North Bethlehem, West Bethlehem and West Pike Run and boroughs of Allenport, Beallsville, Bentleyville, California, Charleroi, Coal Center, Cokeburg, Deemston, Donora, Dunlevy, Elco, Ellsworth, Long Branch, Marianna, New Eagle, North Charleroi, Roscoe, Speers, Stockdale, Twilight and West Brownsville.
“Rep. Cook has been in office for four years and has yet to pass a meaningful piece of legislation to advance the economy of the Mon Valley,” Sherman said. “As county commissioner, we should be working together in the best interest of our shared constituents, focusing on bringing jobs to the 49th District. Commissioner Irey Vaughan and I will remain on the Elections Board and continue to work with both sides of the aisle to ensure that all county residents’ votes are counted.”
Vaughan said neither she nor Sherman have spoken to Cook personally about his letter to them, and she doesn’t see it happening in the future.
“He tends to do things through emails and press releases,” she said.