AND THEY’RE OFF!
Dems kick off County Council campaign, claim incumbent Republican got $10M in contracts; GOP says it’s lies
The two Democratic candidates for County Council have fired the first major fusillade of the fall campaign, accusing GOP incumbent Councilman Dave White of amassing approximately $10 million in governmental contracts while he’s been on council. White’s campaign says he’s done nothing wrong and he’s considering a lawsuit for damage of reputation.
The campaign for Democrats Brian Zidek and Kevin Madden issued a release in which they claimed “Dave White has used his political influence to line his own pockets.” White’s running mate on the Republican ticket is John Perfetti, who was not mentioned in the release.
The Democrats claimed that White’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning company, DWD Mechanical Contractor Inc., had been paid more than $2.5 million from local government agencies, including Brookhaven, Chester Township, Marple, Springfield, Upper Darby and the William Penn, Marple Newtown, Interboro and Upper Darby school districts. In addition, the release stated that a separate company, CM3, has subcontracted work to DWD that was billed to Delaware County directly for $8.6 million worth of general maintenance and HVAC/plumbing repairs since 2012. White was appointed to council in 2012 to fill the unexpired term of Jack Whelan, who took office as Delaware County District Attorney.
“We’re confident that he’s received millions and millions of dollars for his company,” said Joel Coon, Zidek/Madden campaign manager. “We’re not sure the taxpayers are getting the best deal.”
Pete Peterson, spokesman for the Republican campaign, said these are falsehoods and are causing damage to White’s reputation, making him consider taking legal action against the Democrats. He emphatically said White did no work on the $8.6 million that was awarded to CM3.
“There are lies and there are flat-out lies,” Peterson said. “This is a flat out lie. Since Dave White joined County Council in January 2012, neither Dave nor his company have had a single contract or subcontract to do work for the County of Delaware. The Democrats’ assertions are libelous and they may find themselves the subject of a lawsuit in the coming days. Their information is wrong and they will learn it can be costly to make false, slanderous claims.”
Morton-based DWD was founded by White in 2000 and employs about 50 workers, 90 percent of whom are sheet metal workers, pipe fitters and plumbers. It has also done private sector work for Children’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s University, Wawa and Main Line Health.
CM3, based in Fort Washington, Pa., provides energy services, building analytics, systems controls and smart technology to more than 1,000 clients, About half are governmental entities, from municipalities to school districts to counties throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
“CM3 and our 132 employees are proud of the work that we have done with our many customers,” said Bruce Michelson, CM3 president. “We pride ourselves on our quality work and innovative approach to working with clients to provide the optimum solution to maximize the comfort, safety and energy efficiency of their facilities.
“CM3 has done work with the County of Delaware since 2009,” Michelson continued, “and has not subcontracted any work for the county to DWD Mechanical since prior to 2012.”
Emily Harris, director of public relations for Delaware County, said not only has White not had contracts with the county since January 2012 but he’s also recused himself 25 times on votes that pertained to CM3.
According to the Zidek/Madden campaign, “While White has been busy collecting a sevenfigure, taxpayer funded payday, Delaware County’s spending has ballooned by $23 million from FY2013 to FY2017. While Dave White voted to raise county taxes to levels almost 50 percent higher than those of Montgomery County, he was also scheming with his political cronies to pocket up to $10 million in taxpayer money.”
They pointed to a March 16, 2009, contract between DWD and CM3 and Delaware County regarding the service, inspection and preventive maintenance of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigerated equipment to the courthouse, the emergency management facility, the juvenile detention facility and a building at Fifth and Penn streets in Chester. For a total sum of $185,000 a year, DWD was to provide the equipment, labor, tools and supervision.
“Prior to Mr. White going on County Council, he turned the maintenance contract back over to CM3,” Harris said. She added that since the contract was issued in 2009, the county has reduced its energy consumption and costs by more than $1 million annually and reduced their carbon footprint by 5,048 metric tons.
Referring to the county tax comment, Coon also noted that Delaware County had a 5.604 millage rate and Montgomery County’s was 3.849 mills.
The budget passed last year by Delaware County Council was $353 million. County officials say $23 million over that four-year span equates to a roughly 1.5 percent increase each year.
In addition, Peterson said Delaware County and Montgomery County millage rates shouldn’t be compared.
“Comparison to Montgomery County’s millage is misleading because of the difference in assessments on property values in the counties,” he said.
Each of the two counties assesses properties at a different ratio of what they are actually worth, causing the millage rate to fluctuate based on varying values.
The Democrats criticized the GOP incumbent.
“One thing is clear, we must have more transparency in Delaware County,” Zidek said. “The current system has failed taxpayers and allowed politicians like Dave White to line their pockets with the money of
Delco’s working families – families who pay almost 50 percent more in property taxes and get fewer services than those in Montgomery County.”
His running mate, Kevin Madden, said, “Delco’s government needs greater accountability, meaning an end to the self-dealing contracts like those that Dave White took advantage of. This has to stop. Basic transparency and ethics code reforms will make it very hard for politicians like Dave White and his cronies to get away with these self-enrichment schemes.” The GOP responded to those allegations. “As a member of County Council, Dave publicly recuses himself from any vote involving companies that DWD subcontracts for to avoid even the hint of impropriety and to prevent undeserved and defamatory claims such as these,” Peterson said. “Before he joined County Council in 2012,
Dave discontinued DWD’s county subcontract work on an energy efficiency project that was awarded in 2009.”
Of the local government work, Peterson said DWD obtained it all legally and regardless of which party was at the helm.
“Over the past 17 years, DWD has also worked on public sector projects for municipalities and school districts in the TriState area under both Democratic and Republican-controlled administrations – all properly procured in accordance with state laws,” he said.
Peterson spoke to the claims being asserted by the Democrats.
“Zidek and Madden’s reckless allegations do not equal lack of transparency on Dave White’s part or raise any ethical issues, period,” he said. “Dave White has been fighting for the citizens of Delaware County by maintaining the lowest core budget in Southeastern Pennsylvania while continuing a record of three straight years with no tax increase and adding 25,000 new private sector jobs between 2010 and 2016.”