"Judge warns accused gunman"

I think it is good that Judge Davis was unavailable. I think he is too close to the families involved.

"The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA
Judge warns accused gunman
Hearing in murder-for-hire case to continue in 2 weeks"
Saturday, September 26, 2009

http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2009/09/26/news/srv0000006483527.txt

Lieutenant Gordon and "Lieutenant Legree"

There is an article about Matt Gordon and his new position in the West Pikeland Police Department. "Ex-Coatesville cop takes on new role in West Pikeland":
http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2009/08/19/news/srv0000006155363.txt

First off let me explain that, I don't think that Richard Legree was directly involved with drug trafficking, let's just say I think he "called some of the shots".

District Attorney Joe Carroll said that Lt. Matt Gordon is one of the most knowledgeable investigators of drug trafficking and the individuals involved in Chester County. I believe that when Walker and Matthews took him out of operation it was a cause for celebration among Chester County drug traffickers.

At the about same time Matthews proposed laying off at least 6 officers, eliminating the Detective Division and Narcotics Division. After the police began leaving the Coatesville PD there was an almost immediate reaction by the local drug traffickers; gunshots were heard here almost every day. I received word that drug dealers from Philly moved into Coatesville. The word was “business is good again in C’ville”.

I believe that plans to eliminate Lieutenant Gordon were in operation well before Matthews started in Coatesville. I think that Richard Legree planned to step into the Coatesville PD as a Lieutenant and considering Gordon's importance in the prosecution of drug trafficking I think it was killing two birds with one stone. I think the plan was; after Legree was a police Lieutenant for some time Matthews would retire and Legree would be Chief of the Coatesville PD. I believe that a plan B was for Legree to run for Coatesville District Court.


This is part of one of the news records concerning the hiring of Matthews:

From the Daily Local News Friday, October 3, 2008:

Police dispute still on 

By JENNIFER MILLER, Staff Writer 

POSTED: 10/03/08, 12:01 AM EDT |

“The motivation behind Matthews' decision to place Gordon on inactive duty becomes murkier when applying information from a Philadelphia police officer who competed with Matthews for the Coatesville chief position.

Following the appointment of Matthews, Philadelphia Lt. Joel Fitzgerald said the city offered him the chief position and the city drafted a contract.

During the interview process, Fitzgerald said City Manager Harry Walker and prominent resident Richard Legree informed him that, as chief, he would need to fire one of the city's two lieutenants. Fitzgerald never identified the lieutenant.

Fitzgerald said that when he made clear he wanted complete control over department staffing, the city passed on Fitzgerald and instead hired Matthews.

The city has denied any wrongdoing.”

The full article is here:
http://www.dailylocal.com/article/DL/20081003/TMP01/310039976 

I think this is not over and we may be hearing much more about it.

Live recordings from the Coatesville City Council February 22, 2007 Two hundred police officers and police officials attended that meeting.

“I need Matt Gordon back” DA Joe Carroll

Joe was responding to Coatesville City Councilperson Kurt Schenk. Joe Carroll is a very easy going person. Joe’s hands were shaking as he said this. I have never before or since seen Chester County Joe Carroll as angry as he was that evening.

Ed Simpson going head to head with Harry Walker at the Coatesville City Council meeting
Ed Simpson, “People are getting hurt in this community and it’s because we don’t have enough police officers and it’s time for it to stop. Harry Walker’s response was, “we had no intention to let police go in the City of Coatesville, it was said publicly it was said privately it was said thorough the Daily Local there are no plans to let police go in the City of Coatesville.
16 minutes 47 seconds
Listen here:

I believe Walker was lying.
There is proof in writing in a letter from Chief Matthews to District Attorney Joe Carroll dated May 18, 2007 William H Matthews Chief of Police City of Coatesville, ”I have been told that personnel reductions in the police department must be made. I am confident that the City Council is aware of this situation…Because of the lay-off we will lose six (6) patrol officers.”

This is what Joe Carroll reacted to; Kurt Scheck:

“Mr. Matthews, if nobody elsein this room supports you I will support you…Our department before you came here was a mess…For too long the old boy network has been going on here… soon as you were hired I can’t tell me how many people come up to me and said, your police department is not going to work for a black chief… well our City is 70% black and if they are not willing to work for a black chief then they need to go someplace else; because they’re working in the wrong community. They need go someplace else.”

4 minutes, 6 seconds
Listen here:

New comment about Residency of W Vincent Supervisor Barry DiLiberto

I received another comment today about my post:

Concerning the residency case in West Vincent Supervisor Barry DiLibero:
Married politicos share a residency problem
Published: Monday, July 20, 2009
http://coatesvilledems.blogspot.com/2009/07/concerning-residency-case-in-west.html


Also see:
Friday, July 31, 2009
I am posting this for District Attorney Joe Carroll.
For some reason his comment to did not go through. It is in reference to my posting "Concerning the residency case in West Vincent Supervisor Barry DiLibero"
Married politicos share a residency problem.
http://coatesvilledems.blogspot.com/2009/07/i-am-posting-this-for-district-attorney.html

Today I received this comment:

"Anonymous said...
Jim,
Next time you are talking to Joe Carroll...could you ask him how much this case is costing the taxpayers?

I find it hard to believe that it takes this long to determine residency. It seems that it should be easy to ascertain. Does he meet the residency requirement or not?

Should we really have expected Mr. Dilibero or Voters Services to do over a years worth of research and study case law to find a case from the 1950's to cite, that say's a man's residency is determined by his wife's. Are they asking us to believe that married people cannot live apart? I surely hope not!

So while you are at it, ask Joe why this is taking so long!"
August 5, 2009 8:37 AM

My answer:

Unless the person involved acquiesces, it is a near impossibility to successfully challenge residency for political purposes.

One example is the residency of James Clark. He ran and possibly still is running for District Justice in Coatesville’s District Court 15-1-03. The residency requirements for Coatesville’s District Court 15-1-03 is in part of Coatesville and South Coatesville. Mr. Clark lives in Thorndale. In a court document in Chester County President Judge Ott’s court Clark gives his address as 3401 Sylvan Dr., Thorndale, PA 19372. He claims a rental property in Coatesville as his address.

Below are my notes from a hearing in Judge Ott’s courtroom on Friday April 20, 2009:

“I thought that Democratic Attorney John Carnes presented overwhelming evidence including several court documents and Clark’s drivers license that Magistrate Judge candidate James Clark lives in Thorndale. Clark had two relatives that claimed he lived at the address in Coatesville’s Second Ward that he listed on his petition. Clark said that even though a court document from October has Thorndale as his residence and driver’s license residence as Thorndale, he lives in Coatesville.

I understood Clark to have said that his driver’s license and his court documents residence is really his business address and his real residence is in Coatesville. Hmmm.

Even at the place he said he lives in Coatesville, he was only there a few months. State Law says that candidates for Magistrate Judge needs to reside at least a year at the residence on the ballot. The proceedings concerning James Clark were a little confusing to me but I believe that one of Clark’s relatives who is a Republican collected most of his signatures on both Republican and Democratic sides. Clark might not be on the ticket for multiple reasons.

I wondered why Andrew Lehr was sitting right in front of me in the first spectator row. I found out when Lehr conferred with Clark and a woman named as his daughter, Shania London in the hallway. Is Clark a spoiler to Greg Hines? Lehr left when Clarks hearing was over.”
See Clark’s court document here:
http://www.box.net/shared/ahgxgq2hj3

Clark was not on the ticket but ran an extensive and expensive write in campaign. He got very few votes. But that is not the issue. I believe there are several people holding or that have held public offices in Coatesville that do not live here. No one challenges them because they understand the possibility of winning in court is almost non-existent. I believe that there are many people holding public offices all across Chester County that do not live where they claim to live.

Joe Carroll’s action could set a president for future efforts to remove persons that are allegedly illegally holding office. I believe that every instance of claiming to live where you do not is an instance of public corruption. It is very hard to set a price on that kind of public corruption but I believe the cost to the public is in the millions of dollars.

Richard Legree

I believe the real reason that led to Richard Legree Sr. leaving the Republican Party for the Democratic Party was that the Republican Party would not permit him to run for District Justice. They had someone else in mind. If not for that he might have died a Republican.

Richard had several jobs. He was a State Constable in Coatesville’s 3rd Ward. He was employed by the Laborers’-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust as an administrator. The Labor Union job took Richard all over the USA.

I didn’t like everything he did but like many others I enjoyed being around him. I think Richard Legree was a congenial person, that he had excellent salesmanship abilities. I believe that Richard had extremely good managerial abilities. They may not ever have been a more “connected” person than Richard Legree. I don’t believe that everything he did was legal. He had an alleged “retail” business and I believe that one key to solving some of our unsolved murders died with Richard Legree.

During the time that former Chief Matthews was Chief of Police in Coatesville I frequently saw Richard in conversation with City Manager Harry Walker. I believe that Richard Legree exerted what leverage he could over the Coatesville Police Department while Matthews was Chief.

You might ask why I am writing about a dead man. It is not so much because of Richard Legree’s official jobs but because of his alleged extra curricular activities. I believe that people have stepped up to fill in for some of Legree’s alleged extra curricular activities. I think there is a very strong possibility that they will “get caught”. I do not think they have the abilities of Richard Legree. I think he was an extraordinary man.

See, Constable Legree Sr. dies
A controversial figure in Coatesville political circles, he served as city councilman and Valley police officer
Monday, December 22, 2008 6:37 AM EST
Daily Local News
http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2008/12/22/news/srv0000004329654.prt

Lavender Running Illegally

A news article in today’s Daily Local News concerning the elections for MDJ in Coatesville’s Magisterial Court 15-1-03; the Daily Local News failed to point out that it is illegal to run for office as District Magistrate Judge and be employed by a government agency at the same time.

Even a candidate for Coatesville City Council cannot take office and work for any government agency. Ask Calvin Culclasure, he recently withdrew his candidacy. He was unaware that people who work for a government agency cannot take for office without first resigning their job. Since the position as Coatesville City Council member does not pay very well, the decision is an easy one to make.

But Lavender is very well aware that she is breaking the law.

It came up in Judge Ott’s courtroom on Friday March 20, 2009. Lavender has been working as Hennessey’s Legislative Aid and running for Magistrate District Justice. She made the claim to Judge Ott that she is employed by the House Republican Caucus and not Tim Hennessey. Judge Ott quizzed her further and asked what it says at the top of her paycheck. Linda Lavender replied, "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania”. Lavender stated that Tim Hennessey told her that she could run and work as a legislative aid at the same time. She told Judge Ott that Rep. Tim Hennessey would write a letter explaining it to Judge Ott. Judge Ott said that she would like to see that letter.

In spite of Judge Ott very well pointing out that Lavender is an employee of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Lavender continues to break the law and run for election. Lavender did not have sufficient valid signatures to be on the ballot for Magistrate District Judge in Coatesville. She was taken of the ballot for this reason. If there was sufficient time she could also have been removed by the ballot by proving in court that she was is employee of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

I think that it is a spectacular failure of news reporting for the Daily Local News to not include the fact that Lavender is running illegally as MDJ and would be removed if she won the election. Her “certification” may be also be removed by the Judicial Conduct Board whether she wins or not. She may even have some difficulty in keeping her job as Hennessey’s Legislative Aid.

The Daily Local News article is here:
http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2009/05/15/news/srv0000005341236.txt

OFFICIAL PRIMARY BALLOTS IN COATESVILLE

Click on the two links below for the OFFICIAL PRIMARY BALLOTS in Coatesville.

SIX COATESVILLE WARDS DEMOCRATIC BALLOTS HERE:
http://www.box.net/shared/qqnucx6e4m


SIX COATESVILLE WARDS REPUBLICAN BALLOTS HERE:
http://www.box.net/shared/xbe479oj1p