Manager suspended in Radnor
February 28, 2009 RTK request stories | Radnor Twp
By TIMOTHY LOGUE | [Delaware County] Daily Times
RADNOR — It appears David A. Bashore’s days as township manager are numbered.
Whether he will face criminal prosecution for allegedly awarding hefty bonuses to himself and about 30 other township employees without the approval of the board of commissioners remains to be seen.
“We have suspended him and we are continuing our own investigation into the matter,” said board President Thomas A. Masterson Jr. “We will now initiate removal proceedings.”
Assistant Delaware County District Attorney Michael Mattson confirmed his office was aware of the allegations.
“It was referred (Thursday) and we are reviewing it to see what, if any, action is appropriate,” he said.
Bashore, 52, allegedly approved $128,000 worth of bonuses for himself since he began serving as township manager in January 2001.
Reached at his home, he declined to be interviewed, but did offer a prepared statement professing his innocence.
“As township manager, I have at all times — and without exception — acted in a professional manner and in accordance with the policies and practices set forth on behalf of the board of commissioners and the citizens of Radnor Township,” he said.
“While I deeply regret that I have become the subject of controversy, I am confident that a fair and impartial review of my actions — when viewed in the context of peer municipalities and other related entities — will reaffirm their appropriateness.”
In addition to the bonuses, a string of public record requests uncovered Bashore’s employment contract, signed in 2001, which included a $175,000 interest-free loan he used to purchase a home in the 200 block of Spruce Tree Road.
Like the bonus payments, Masterson said the contract was never shared with the public or voted on by the board of commissioners.
“I was not aware that there was a contract with the township manager and it was something I asked about a number of times,” said former Commissioner David Cannan, who served from 2000-2007. “I was incredulous about that. I was told the manager served at the pleasure of the board and there was no contract.
“Now that (it has surfaced), I’d like to know by what authority that contract was given.”
A township employee since 1987 and former assistant manager, Bashore was elevated to the manager’s job in November 2000 following the death of his predecessor, Bob Crofford, who Bashore credits with initiating the bonus policy.
At the commissioners’ Monday night meeting, Masterson, the board’s new president, interrogated Bashore at length about the annual lump-sum payments.
“There is absolutely no authority for you as township manager to be creating policy documents, signing them, dating them, and putting them in a drawer and making decisions about important things like compensation to yourself, without bringing it to the board’s attention, would you agree?” Masterson asked.
Bashore said he didn’t, citing “provisions in the administrative code that directly conflict your statement.”
Masterson also asked Bashore whether he had an obligation “to bring to this board the specific facts and information about the compensation that you are seeking for yourself?”
“It’s a good business practice,” Bashore answered.
“It’s also a matter of law, is it not?” Masterson, a partner in a Philadelphia law firm, continued.
“I’m not sure I’d characterize it as that,” Bashore said.
Longtime Commissioner Bill Spingler was the only one to offer Bashore a lifeline.
“The fact of the matter is that he has the authority under the administrative code to give bonuses to employees and his … contract says that he is entitled to the same bonuses that other employees get,” he said.
By Thursday, however, Masterson said the letter informing Bashore of his indefinite suspension was sent with the consent of every member of the board.
Just as alarming as the bonuses to some was the employment agreement signed by then-board President James Pierce, Vice President Harry Mahoney and Solicitor David Blake. In addition to hospitalization, surgical, major medical, dental, vision and prescription coverage, life and long-term disability insurance, a company car and an SUV for personal use, and a generous retirement package and severance language, was the $175,000 loan.
The agreement said $25,000 of the loan would be immediately forgiven and the rest would be excused at a rate of $12,500 per year. The justification was to help Bashore meet the township’s residency requirement and offset the higher cost of living he would incur by moving to Radnor from East Fallowfield, Chester County.
Mahoney, who recently concluded a term as president, still serves on the board. Phone and e-mail messages from the Daily Times were not immediately returned Thursday.
“This is a serious and very sad day and I would just urge you to do the right thing and contact the authorities,” township resident Christina Perrone told commissioners at the end of Monday night’s meeting.
Perrone, a Democrat and former commissioner candidate in the township’s 2nd Ward, made several open records requests that have shined light on Bashore’s practices and compensation.
Treasurer John Osborne, a Republican who asked about the bonuses at a December board meeting, thinks a full investigation will lead to better government in Radnor.
“I’m looking forward to township officials getting to the bottom of this and figuring out why it happened for so long,” he said.
Asked about Bashore’s generous bonus policy, Osborne said it reminded him of satirist Garrison Keillor’s fictional hometown of Lake Wobegon, “where all the children are exceptional.”
In addition to his $131,641 base salary, Bashore received longevity pay, contributions to a tax-deferred compensation plan and nonqualified retirement account, and a $15,000 bonus payment that brought his total cash compensation for 2008 to $176,956.
RADNOR — It appears David A. Bashore’s days as township manager are numbered.
Whether he will face criminal prosecution for allegedly awarding hefty bonuses to himself and about 30 other township employees without the approval of the board of commissioners remains to be seen.
“We have suspended him and we are continuing our own investigation into the matter,” said board President Thomas A. Masterson Jr. “We will now initiate removal proceedings.”
Assistant Delaware County District Attorney Michael Mattson confirmed his office was aware of the allegations.
“It was referred (Thursday) and we are reviewing it to see what, if any, action is appropriate,” he said.
Bashore, 52, allegedly approved $128,000 worth of bonuses for himself since he began serving as township manager in January 2001.
Reached at his home, he declined to be interviewed, but did offer a prepared statement professing his innocence.
“As township manager, I have at all times — and without exception — acted in a professional manner and in accordance with the policies and practices set forth on behalf of the board of commissioners and the citizens of Radnor Township,” he said.
“While I deeply regret that I have become the subject of controversy, I am confident that a fair and impartial review of my actions — when viewed in the context of peer municipalities and other related entities — will reaffirm their appropriateness.”
In addition to the bonuses, a string of public record requests uncovered Bashore’s employment contract, signed in 2001, which included a $175,000 interest-free loan he used to purchase a home in the 200 block of Spruce Tree Road.
Like the bonus payments, Masterson said the contract was never shared with the public or voted on by the board of commissioners.
“I was not aware that there was a contract with the township manager and it was something I asked about a number of times,” said former Commissioner David Cannan, who served from 2000-2007. “I was incredulous about that. I was told the manager served at the pleasure of the board and there was no contract.
“Now that (it has surfaced), I’d like to know by what authority that contract was given.”
A township employee since 1987 and former assistant manager, Bashore was elevated to the manager’s job in November 2000 following the death of his predecessor, Bob Crofford, who Bashore credits with initiating the bonus policy.
At the commissioners’ Monday night meeting, Masterson, the board’s new president, interrogated Bashore at length about the annual lump-sum payments.
“There is absolutely no authority for you as township manager to be creating policy documents, signing them, dating them, and putting them in a drawer and making decisions about important things like compensation to yourself, without bringing it to the board’s attention, would you agree?” Masterson asked.
Bashore said he didn’t, citing “provisions in the administrative code that directly conflict your statement.”
Masterson also asked Bashore whether he had an obligation “to bring to this board the specific facts and information about the compensation that you are seeking for yourself?”
“It’s a good business practice,” Bashore answered.
“It’s also a matter of law, is it not?” Masterson, a partner in a Philadelphia law firm, continued.
“I’m not sure I’d characterize it as that,” Bashore said.
Longtime Commissioner Bill Spingler was the only one to offer Bashore a lifeline.
“The fact of the matter is that he has the authority under the administrative code to give bonuses to employees and his … contract says that he is entitled to the same bonuses that other employees get,” he said.
By Thursday, however, Masterson said the letter informing Bashore of his indefinite suspension was sent with the consent of every member of the board.
Just as alarming as the bonuses to some was the employment agreement signed by then-board President James Pierce, Vice President Harry Mahoney and Solicitor David Blake. In addition to hospitalization, surgical, major medical, dental, vision and prescription coverage, life and long-term disability insurance, a company car and an SUV for personal use, and a generous retirement package and severance language, was the $175,000 loan.
The agreement said $25,000 of the loan would be immediately forgiven and the rest would be excused at a rate of $12,500 per year. The justification was to help Bashore meet the township’s residency requirement and offset the higher cost of living he would incur by moving to Radnor from East Fallowfield, Chester County.
Mahoney, who recently concluded a term as president, still serves on the board. Phone and e-mail messages from the Daily Times were not immediately returned Thursday.
“This is a serious and very sad day and I would just urge you to do the right thing and contact the authorities,” township resident Christina Perrone told commissioners at the end of Monday night’s meeting.
Perrone, a Democrat and former commissioner candidate in the township’s 2nd Ward, made several open records requests that have shined light on Bashore’s practices and compensation.
Treasurer John Osborne, a Republican who asked about the bonuses at a December board meeting, thinks a full investigation will lead to better government in Radnor.
“I’m looking forward to township officials getting to the bottom of this and figuring out why it happened for so long,” he said.
Asked about Bashore’s generous bonus policy, Osborne said it reminded him of satirist Garrison Keillor’s fictional hometown of Lake Wobegon, “where all the children are exceptional.”
In addition to his $131,641 base salary, Bashore received longevity pay, contributions to a tax-deferred compensation plan and nonqualified retirement account, and a $15,000 bonus payment that brought his total cash compensation for 2008 to $176,956.
