A long journey: Wolf pardons McKeesport man for decades-old conviction
By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
After a long, frustrating quest, a McKeesport man who had his council seat stripped from him for a decades-old drug conviction, learned this week he’s been pardoned by Gov. Tom Wolf.
Corry Sanders, 50, got the news when he came home from work early Monday and a postal worker rang his doorbell, asking him to sign for a certified letter.
“I saw that is was labeled from Harrisburg,” he said. “From that moment right there, I just knew and my heart melted.”
In a 5-0 vote, the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, which is chaired by Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, recommended clemency for Sanders last September during a public hearing in Harrisburg.
Sanders was elected to McKeesport City Council in 2015, but was barred by an Allegheny County judge from taking the seat in early 2016 as a result of a drug conviction. He pleaded no contest in 1993 to two drug charges and was sentenced to four years in prison.
Sara Goulet, the governor’s deputy press secretary, on Wednesday confirmed Sanders was granted a pardon Aug. 27.
When contacted by the Mon Valley Independent Wednesday, Sanders said life “has been going 100 mph the last 48 hours,” but he’s elated.
It’s been a long journey for Sanders, but he has been dedicated to changing his life since his jail term.
Community members in 2016 told national media outlets Sanders turned his life around and mentored young men to stay out of trouble.
He successfully ran for one of four open McKeesport council seats in the November 2015 general election.
But his victory was short lived.
After the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office learned about the nearly quarter-century old drug convictions, they wrote a letter to the city warning Sanders couldn’t take his seat.
Sanders had applied for a pardon after winning the 2015 primary, but the lengthy pardon process wasn’t complete by the time he was elected in the general election. It takes about 2 1/2 years from the time the Board of Pardons receives a pardon application to the time the board conducts a merit review to determine if a hearing will be granted, according to the board’s website.
If the hearing is granted and a pardon is recommended to the governor, “there is no time frame for the governor to act on your case,” the website states.
The district attorney’s office filed a motion seeking to prevent Sanders from taking the seat because of the convictions.
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