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Judge removes Peters Township Sanitary Authority board member

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A member of the Peters Township Sanitary Authority Board has been removed from his position by a Washington County judge.

Richard Lawson, who was one of three Union Township appointees on the board, was removed by a judgment from Judge Michael J. Lucas on Aug. 8, as a result of claims that Lawson was creating a hostile work environment.

“In my opinion, this is a landmark case in Pennsylvania and stands for the proposition that municipal supervisors and municipal appointees to boards cannot harass municipal employees without consequences,” said Phillip J. Binotto Jr., Peters Creek Sanitary Authority solicitor.

An action was filed to remove Lawson July 12, 2021, by seven members of the PCSA board. The three members who were not part of the action were Lawson and two other Union Township appointees, Frank Latorre and Harold Breinig.

The Peters Township S{/span}{span}anitary Authority{/span}{span} (PCSA) provides public sewer service to an area that encompasses portions of Finleyville, and Union, Nottingham, North Strabane and Peters Township.

The board consists of 10 members appointed by these municipalities, with the exception of North Strabane, which makes up only a small portion of the service area.

Lawson was appointed to the board in 2016 by Union Township, where he serves as a supervisor.

Binotto said Richard Kovach, PCSA manager, filed a complaint against Lawson, as well as fellow board member Keven Daerr (husband of Heather Daerr, Union Township’s chairperson) on April 15, 2021, alleging a hostile work, environment, bullying and harassment.

After a PCSA investigation, the authority hired Corporate Security and Investigation (CSI), a private investigation firm, to investigate the complaint and make recommendations.

The removal of both Daerr and Lawson was recommended, according to Binotto. Daerr eventually resigned, while {/span}Lawson was asked to resign but refused.

According to the judge’s ruling, Kovach opposed Lawson’s effort to secure a bulk billing arrangement for portions of Union Township, which caused a falling out between the two men.

“Mr. Lawson responded in a hostile manner,” the ruling reads. “Mr. Lawson then began to make requests for large amounts of information and documents from Kovach.”

According to the decision, Lawson filed multiple Right-to-Know requests despite having full access to all information as a board member.

Testimony was cited from a three-day trial before Lucas in which PCSA board members characterized Lawson’s conduct as “abusive” toward Kovach and said he treated Kovach “terribly.”

“Testimony credibly demonstrated that the relationship history between Mr. Lawson and Mr. Kovach shows a pattern of Mr. Lawson acting in a manner that is inimical and harmful to the interests of PCSA and its ratepayers,” the judge ruled.

On July 28, 2021, Lawson, in his position as a Union Township supervisor, voted with the rest of the board to file suit against the PCSA, the board members who voted to have Lawson removed and Kovach, which the judge ruled was a pretext for retaliation against Kovach and PCSA board members who supported Kovach.

Lucas ruled that Lawson’s actions “demonstrate a repetitive pattern of Mr. Lawson disregarding his PCSA hat and taking steps that were not calculated to serve the interest of PCSA and its ratepayers.”

Attorney Patricia Monahan, representing Lawson, said her client was disappointed in the ruling.

“Mr. Lawson is disappointed that Judge Lucas did not take into account substantial evidence that Mr. Lawson presented in his defense and contrary to the findings of Judge Lucas,” she said Thursday.

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