Radnor board axes manager over alleged bonus cover-up
By WILLIAM BENDER
Philadelphia Daily News
There was no middle ground in Radnor Township last night.
Dave Bashore, the soon-to-be-former manager of the Main Line community, is either a greedy liar who tricked elected officials into approving hefty bonuses for himself and others, or he's a consummate professional who was victimized by a witch hunt.
Radnor's Board of Commissioners voted unanimously last night to suspend Bashore and request his resignation after the recent discovery that he had distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses - $141,500 for himself - then allegedly attempted to cover his trail by falsifying financial documents.
The matter was referred last week to Delaware County District Attorney G. Michael Green.
The commissioners voted after getting an earful from Bashore's detractors - and one furious supporter who nearly got booted from the room after accusing the township's treasurer of being a racist, sexist, anti-Semitic homophobe.
"This is not a pleasant place to be for any of us," said Board President Thomas Masterson.
A crowd of about 100 watched two screens in silence as Masterson displayed documentation that he said provided "irrefutable" evidence that Bashore had misled the board and secretly approved more than $500,000 in bonuses.
"When I received that document I almost fell out of my chair," Masterson said of what is now known as "Exhibit G." It described the "special lump-sum payments" that Bashore had been handing out to dozens of employees.
At a December board meeting, Bashore dodged questions about the bonuses, but finally admitted that some employees have received them "off and on throughout the years."
"Actually, there was one employee who got bonuses every year, without fail, whether the financial times were good or bad," Masterson said. "And that was the township manager."
Bashore, a former Congressional Budget Office analyst, did not attend last night's meeting. He said in a statement this week that he had done nothing wrong.
"You have publicly attempted to ruin the reputation of a man and his family - I find that to be unconscionable," Chip Addis, a financial adviser in Radnor, told the board. He said that the proceedings should have been held behind closed doors.
Masterson said that Bashore had also concealed how much he was earning each year, telling officials in December that it was "in the 130's." Township records show that Bashore's total 2008 compensation was $210,247.95.
Philadelphia Daily News
There was no middle ground in Radnor Township last night.
Dave Bashore, the soon-to-be-former manager of the Main Line community, is either a greedy liar who tricked elected officials into approving hefty bonuses for himself and others, or he's a consummate professional who was victimized by a witch hunt.
Radnor's Board of Commissioners voted unanimously last night to suspend Bashore and request his resignation after the recent discovery that he had distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses - $141,500 for himself - then allegedly attempted to cover his trail by falsifying financial documents.
The matter was referred last week to Delaware County District Attorney G. Michael Green.
The commissioners voted after getting an earful from Bashore's detractors - and one furious supporter who nearly got booted from the room after accusing the township's treasurer of being a racist, sexist, anti-Semitic homophobe.
"This is not a pleasant place to be for any of us," said Board President Thomas Masterson.
A crowd of about 100 watched two screens in silence as Masterson displayed documentation that he said provided "irrefutable" evidence that Bashore had misled the board and secretly approved more than $500,000 in bonuses.
"When I received that document I almost fell out of my chair," Masterson said of what is now known as "Exhibit G." It described the "special lump-sum payments" that Bashore had been handing out to dozens of employees.
At a December board meeting, Bashore dodged questions about the bonuses, but finally admitted that some employees have received them "off and on throughout the years."
"Actually, there was one employee who got bonuses every year, without fail, whether the financial times were good or bad," Masterson said. "And that was the township manager."
Bashore, a former Congressional Budget Office analyst, did not attend last night's meeting. He said in a statement this week that he had done nothing wrong.
"You have publicly attempted to ruin the reputation of a man and his family - I find that to be unconscionable," Chip Addis, a financial adviser in Radnor, told the board. He said that the proceedings should have been held behind closed doors.
Masterson said that Bashore had also concealed how much he was earning each year, telling officials in December that it was "in the 130's." Township records show that Bashore's total 2008 compensation was $210,247.95.
