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Ex-Michigan State president to stand trial; trustee quits

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Robbery suspect in custody after struggle with police

<p>Luzerne County Council candidate Walter Griffith said he received calls Monday from several supporters upset about their receipt of a Pennsylvania Democratic Party mailer card blasting him.</p><p>Griffith said he was surprised the state party is focused on a county-level race and believes it means he must be a &#8220;threat&#8221; to those who don&#8217;t want his scrutiny of county government.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s really sad the state Democratic Party Party is obsessed with removing me,&#8221; Griffith said. &#8220;All I try to do is expose corruption and the things not done properly, and they have the ultimate goal to destroy me.&#8221;</p><p>According to a copy of the mailing supplied by Griffith, it is topped with this heading: &#8220;The truth about politician Walter Griffith!&#8221;</p><p>Repeatedly using the word politician before his name, it says he was convicted of a crime &#8220;the last time he was in charge of county government,&#8221; exposed the county to a civil suit that cost taxpayer money due to his &#8220;poor judgment&#8221; and received a tax break he &#8220;was not entitled to while in office.&#8221;</p><p>It wraps up with this statement: &#8220;Tell politician Walter Griffith: &#8216;No more politics on the taxpayer&#8217;s dime!&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>Griffith, a 65-year-old Republican from Kingston Township, said he was never convicted of a crime but instead pleaded guilty after he realized he made a mistake audio-recording people without their knowledge. He also resigned as county controller and publicly apologized to avoid the need for trial.</p><p>The three illegal recordings that led to the charges and his guilty plea on three misdemeanor counts of obstructing the administration of law involved a 2010 call with county pension fund officials, a retirement board closed-door executive session that same year, and a 2011 call with Y. Judd Shoval, a member of the nonprofit CityVest board that handled the failed Hotel Sterling renovation in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>Griffith said he did not know he had to expressly obtain permission and made the recordings solely to have an accurate personal record of what was said.</p><p>&#8220;At the end of the day, it was because I was doing the work of taxpayers. It&#8217;s not because I was a corrupt politician,&#8221; Griffith said.</p><p>He also noted county Judge William H. Amesbury had ruled in 2017 that Griffith&#8217;s misdemeanor obstruction offense did not fall into the &#8220;infamous crime&#8221; category that would bar him from serving in county office.</p><p>Griffith believes the mailer&#8217;s reference to a civil suit stems from council&#8217;s decision to pay a $12,000 settlement in 2017 to end Shoval&#8217;s litigation against Griffith over the audio recording. Griffith said he had no control over the settlement and believes the county is settling too many suits out of court.</p><p>The tax break referenced in the mailer involved Griffith&#8217;s receipt of a homestead exemption on two homes and an auto repair business he had owned, even though the benefit was only supposed to go to one primary residence. The county ended up flagging and sending bills to owners of 1,400 property owners seeking repayment for unallowable breaks.</p><p>The problem came to light when Griffith complained at a 2015 council meeting that he would be paying $200 more in taxes because the county was eliminating the homestead. Councilman Tim McGinley questioned the $200 figure, saying property owners could only claim a $57 homestead break on one property.</p><p>Griffith reiterated Monday that he &#8212; like many others &#8212; had no idea he was receiving too many breaks.</p><p>&#8220;If I was trying to get something for free, do you think I would have brought it up?&#8221; Griffith said. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s disingenuous that this was put on the card.&#8221;</p><p>The front of the mailer urges recipients to vote straight Democrat and lists the six Democrat council contenders, saying the communication was paid for and authorized by the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. </p><p>&#8220;I got many calls from people saying they are not going to vote Democrat now because of the tone of that card,&#8221; Griffith said. &#8220;They&#8217;re comparing it to what the party is doing to (President Donald) Trump.&#8221;</p><p>State Democratic Party spokesman Brendan Welch said Monday the mailer was sent because voters &#8220;deserve to know about Walter Griffith&#8217;s criminal record and poor judgment.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;We have a slew of qualified Democratic candidates who are dedicated to fighting for the working families of Luzerne County, and each one is a better choice than Walter Griffith,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Griffith </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_TTL121614budget2-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>Griffith </caption0><photoCredit0>File photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Luzerne County Council candidate Walter Griffith blasts state Democratic mailer singling him out