Questions Surround Commissioners Recent Appointment

Washington County Commissioners voted 2-1 to appoint Snehal Patel of Peters Township to the board of the Washington County Housing Authority. During the nomination, Commissioner Larry Maggi, who cast the dissenting vote, asked the two other commissioners if they knew Patel. Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman said he did and characterized him as a “good guy.” After the meeting, Maggi pointed to Patel’s 2014 guilty plea for possession of controlled substances and possession with intent to deliver controlled substances after a 2012 raid on his Cigarette City store in Washington. When contacted, Sherman stated he had no comment on the matter due to the inability to verify the report. Patel is replacing David Gatling, Sr., President of the Washington Branch NAACP.  In county business PennDot will reimburse the county $5.65 million to replace two county bridges. The county will also enter into a master grant agreement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to receive $2.2 million in funding for housing and supporting services for homeless individuals and families.