As I have written earlier, the Lower Nazareth Township Supervisors has pursued removing me from office for several months, in disregard for the taxpayer money they would need to spend. I have shared with them my commentary of my 18 months serving as auditor in a public meeting here, and they certainly had no public comment on their obvious lack of public transparency which can be heard here.
I find it ironic that all of my work to share public documents with the taxpayers has had to be done unofficially as a private citizen, when I had mistakenly thought as an elected auditor I would have free and easy access to municipal government records. Today, with a light heart, I sent them the below letter:
Dear Lower Nazareth Township Supervisors –
I hereby resign the office of township auditor effective July 4, 2019, to avoid any further spending of taxpayer funds to remove me from office via a quo warranto court action.
For approximately the past 15 years, the Lower Nazareth board of auditors has pretty much only met for 15 minutes per year at the beginning of January, so I trust the July 4th date will give you ample time to accept my resignation and select your appointment of my replacement within the time specified in Article IV, Section 407(b) of the second class township code.
It is also my forlorn hope that you reconsider the secretive local government practices that you have sanctioned. You have effectively blocked me from freely accessing township financial records and all other documents for 18 months and have prevented me from seeing township assets to confirm their existence. Your policy could be replaced tomorrow with public openness, transparency, and an attitude of servitude and humility towards the taxpayers of Lower Nazareth Township.
I bear none of you any personal ill will whatsoever including all township employees and the township solicitor. We just greatly differ on the degree of public transparency your local government should share with the public. That is my message.
Governments tend to hate when the truth is told about them. They prefer to kill the messenger rather than face the message.
In Liberty,
Jake Towne
June 10, 2019
cc: Attorney Gary Asteak, township solicitor
cc: Marc Suhr, township auditor
cc: Regis Flaherty, township auditor
cc: Christina Tatu, The Morning Call
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