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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The Luzerne County District Attorney&#8217;s Office confirmed it is investigating allegations city councilwoman Beth Gilbert made that an executive with her former employer attempted to sway not only her vote in favor of the company, but the votes of others on council.</p><p>The Times Leader contacted District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis after a citizen called the paper to ask if anyone was reviewing the allegations raised in the leaked resignation letter Gilbert sent to Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies last month.</p><p>&#8220;Based on information provided to us, we are looking into the matter,&#8221; Salavantis said late Wednesday.</p><p>The DA declined to discuss how and when her office got involved or elaborate on any other aspect of the investigation.</p><p>When reached at City Hall after council&#8217;s public meeting Thursday, Gilbert said, &#8220;I can&#8217;t comment on it. I can&#8217;t confirm or deny anything.&#8221;</p><p>Previously, Gilbert said she could not talk about her exit from GUARD &#8220;due to potential litigation.&#8221; She left to go to work as a talent buyer for Special Guest App. Its office in downtown Wilkes-Barre is a short walk from GUARD&#8217;s corporate headquarters on Public Square.</p><p>GUARD spokeswoman Elizabeth Hartman said Thursday &#8220;we have nothing further to add to our Jan. 11 comments related to this matter.&#8221;</p><p>When first asked last month about Gilbert&#8217;s letter and allegations, Hartman said it is company policy not to comment on personnel matters. In a prepared statement at the time, Hartman said: &#8220;Berkshire Hathaway GUARD has always conducted itself with integrity, full transparency and openness in all of our dealings with the city of Wilkes-Barre.&#8221;</p><p><strong>&#8216;Downright unethical&#8217;</strong></p><p>Gilbert previously confirmed the letter that was provided to the Times Leader by a source was hers. It was not made public or posted on social media, she said.</p><p>The letter stated it was Gilbert&#8217;s &#8220;official resignation notice&#8221; and listed qualities, both laudable and shameful, about GUARD.</p><p>Gilbert said she made lifelong friends with some of her coworkers and believed GUARD had the potential to be asset for the city and &#8220;an example of the modern-day employer for the new generation&#8221; of local college graduates. Gilbert graduated from Wilkes University in 2016 after she was elected to council to represent District C. The Democratic incumbent recently announced she will seek another four-year term.</p><p>But Gilbert said she also faced &#8220;some of the oddest, some downright unethical encounters&#8221; at her former workplace. &#8220;From being called into a Guard executive&#8217;s office to sway my vote on City Council and being asked to leverage my power to influence others to vote in Guard&#8217;s favor to then targeting me afterward for discipline and the bald-faced refusal to give me an earned raise for two and half (sic) years, the not so subtle signals have been clear. Play ball our way or suffer the consequences.&#8221;</p><p>Council made two highly publicized votes regarding GUARD and in each case Gilbert abstained, stating she worked for the company.</p><p>In January 2017, council approved the application for a $1 million state grant to assist with GUARD&#8217;s downtown office consolidation. It was later awarded and factored into the company&#8217;s decision to locate its corporate headquarters here and create hundreds of jobs. In December 2018, council approved a deal to provide parking at a reduced rate for GUARD employees at the city-owned James F. Conahan Intermodal Transportation Facility. </p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre councilwoman Beth Gilbert, center, declined to comment Thursday on an investigation by the Luzerne County District Attorney&#8217;s Office into her allegations that an executive at her former employer Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies tried to sway her vote in favor of the insurer. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_TTL010417WB-Council1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre councilwoman Beth Gilbert, center, declined to comment Thursday on an investigation by the Luzerne County District Attorney&#8217;s Office into her allegations that an executive at her former employer Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies tried to sway her vote in favor of the insurer. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger file photo | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

DA’s office probing allegations WB councilwoman Gilbert raised in job resignation