Former Bradford Township Supervisor Tom Vickery has been found
guilty by the state Ethics Commission of using his public office
for private financial gain.

According to the ruling, which is posted on the Commission’s Web
site, the decision was made in April, but Vickery asked for a
reconsideration. In an order dated July 21 and marked mailed on
Aug. 5, the Commission denied his motion to reconsider their
decision.

When contacted by The Era Tuesday for comment, Vickery said he
hadn’t received the order. “It doesn’t matter to me, I don’t read
your newspaper so I wouldn’t know.” He apparently declined further
comment, hanging up immediately thereafter.

In a 64-page document, the Commission spells out its findings
against Vickery.

“The allegations are that Vickery as a member and chairman of
the board of supervisors of Bradford Township violated … the Ethics
Act (1) when he used the authority of his office for a private
pecuniary benefit to enhance the value of property he was selling
by using the township engineer to perform services at a cost to the
township to improve property Vickery was selling as a private
individual; and (2) when Vickery through the use of the authority
of his public office, caused a permit application to be submitted
to DEP in the name of the township regarding the reconstruction of
a catch basin in an attempt to have the township perform such work
thereby eliminating the need and cost for Vickery to privately
perform the work necessary to resolve water issues on the property
he was selling,” the order reads.

“But for being in his public position, Vickery would not have
been able to direct the preparation and submission of the permit
application in the name of Bradford Township and at the expense of
Bradford Township to re-route the existing waterway,” the order
reads.

Briefly, the findings allege that while Vickery was the chairman
of the township supervisors, he suggested that Universal Well
Services relocate to Bradford Township.

The findings allege that Vickery negotiated to purchase land on
Rutherford Run from David and Mary Walters for ,75,000 without
telling them he was planning to resell the land to Universal. He
then had the township’s engineer inspect, process and submit an
application to the state Department of Environmental Protection for
culvert work to abrogate water issues.

He sold the land to Universal for ,150,000, and didn’t have to
pay the ,979 worth of professional services E&M Engineers
devoted to the project, the Commission found.

When Donald Cummins took over as supervisor, the permit was
withdrawn from the DEP by Cummins and Supervisor Steve Mascho,
according to the Commission.

The Ethics Commission ruled that Vickery has to pay a penalty of
,2,937 – triple the amount of financial gain he amassed at the
expense of the township, according to the order.

Vickery had filed a request for reconsideration on June 16,
saying the Commission’s conclusions were not supported by clear and
convincing evidence. He said he used the authority of his public
office to “further a legal duty of the township to maintain a
culvert on a township-maintained roadway,” and said the Commission
ignored testimony from the engineer that there was a defect with
the culvert.

The Investigative Division of the Ethics Commission opposed
Vickery’s request, saying, among other things, that “Vickery was
lacking in credibility,” according to the order.

The Commission said Vickery failed to meet the burden of proof
for reconsideration and entered its final order on July 21.