Montco Commissioner Used County Funds To Promote Candidate, GOP Alleges

NORRISTOWN, PA — Republican Party leadership in Montgomery County alleged this week that Commissioner Neil Makhija used county funds to pay for a town hall event with an incumbent state senator who faces a challenge in the primary election next week.

The Montgomery County Republican Committee has called on the Pennsylvania Ethics Commission to investigate the incident. The allegations sparked a rebuke from fellow Commissioner Thomas DiBello.

“I strongly oppose the use of county taxpayer dollars to advertise, promote, or host politically driven themed events camouflaged as an election town hall," DiBello said in a statement. "At a time when residents are facing rising costs and expect government to focus on core services, taxpayer funds should be used responsibly and transparently, not for events that many residents may not support."

Specifically, Republicans claimed that Makhija used an unknown amount of county funds to "pay for and promote" a telephone town hall event co-hosted with State Sen. Art Haywood.

The county says that this characterization is "categorically false."

"The county’s elections town halls are not political events," a county spokesperson told Patch Tuesday. "Their purpose is to educate voters about essential information and deadlines for voting, by mail, by drop box, or at the polls. Voters of every background, Democrat, Republican, and Independent, should have the information they need to exercise their fundamental right to vote. The county takes seriously our commitment to election administration and does not engage in partisan falsehoods."

Haywood has represented the state's fourth senatorial district, which covers swaths of Philadelphia and Montgomery County, since 2014. He's being challenged by neighborhood organizer and progressive labor advocate Mike Cogbill.

The town hall event was held Monday night. Makhija and Haywood went over issues like mail-in ballots, voting access, and election security.

Makhija is the elections chair of the county, so hosting the town hall is nothing unusual for his position. But the Republican Committee says that by co-hosting the event with Haywood, he was essentially campaigning for Haywood. Particularly as the event came days before the primary.

“It is unacceptable for Montgomery County to be paying for events to promote Democratic candidates with taxpayer dollars,” Liz Ferry, Chair of the Montgomery County Republican Committee, said in a statement. “Commissioner Makhija’s thinly disguised campaign event is completely unethical. He should personally reimburse taxpayers for this partisan maneuver.”

The winner of the Haywood and Cogbill primary will also face Republican challenger and pastor Todd Johnson in the general election next fall.