Fayette Searchlight

On Tuesday, 11/17/2015, at the Fayette County Commissioners meeting, Fayette County Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink made clear that she would look into reports which concern the propriety/legality of a candidate for office holding an election party in the same building which houses an Election Day polling location.

The reports stem from an Election Day party held by a recent candidate for county commissioner, namely a party held by current Fayette County Commission Chairman Al Ambrosini at the Joseph A. Hardy/Connellsville Airport.

Today, in a call placed to the Fayette County Election Bureau, Fayette Searchlight learned that no formal, official complaint was filed regarding the matter.

Thus, Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink has vowed to look into informal reports while all indications are that the 3rd Referral of the Fayette County Election Board (a motion made by Zimmerlink herself) has gone uninvestigated by Fayette County District Attorney Jack R. Heneks, Jr. and Fayette County Grand Jury No. 2.

At the 09/28/2012 meeting of the Fayette County Election Board, after a lengthy presentation of our formal complaint (and before Commissioner Zapotosky left to make an appointment and, thus, a quorum being lost) Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink failed to make a motion (See this video at 4:30 onward.) to refer the formal complaint regarding election irregularities and suspicious circumstances -- filed by the writer of this blog and NES Editor DAY -- to either the Office of the Fayette County District Attorney or (more appropriately) to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.

Subsequently, on November 19, 2012, the same day materials were filed with the Fayette County Clerk of Courts and with the Office of the Fayette County District Attorney, a computer disk containing files highlighting election irregularities and suspicious circumstances was delivered to the Office of the Fayette County Commissioners.

In later e-mails to the board of commissioners, this writer and NES Editor DAY requested that each commissioner separately refer our formal complaint and information about election irregularities and suspicious circumstances to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and to provide proof via a registered return signature that each had done so.

The generous time period provided to perform that request passed with no commissioner (including Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink) providing any evidence that the election irregularities and suspicious circumstances had been forwarded to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General for investigation.

Thus, while the 3rd Referral and an official complaint go uninvestigated, Commissioner Zimmerlink is on the record that she intends to look into non-official, informal reports.

For a seasoned commissioner who should be a guardian of the propriety of elections in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, it's not a record to be proud of.