Highlights:
- An investigation found that the director of the Warren County, Pennsylvania landfill did not abuse his authority by approving a waste disposal contract with Covanta Energy without the board's approval.
- Allegations were brought by a former landfill authority attorney after the contract contained a lower-than-authorized rate for trash disposal at the county landfill.
- While exonerating the landfill directory, the investigation was critical of, Laurel Napolitani, the former Chairwoman of the county's Pollution Control Financing Authority. The former Superior Court judge who led the investigation alleges that Napolitani abused her authority to make "unilateral" decisions to discipline Williams and take operational control of the landfill.
From the article:
The director of Warren County's landfill did not misuse his position last year in approving a contract without board approval, according to the results of an internal investigation released Wednesday.
Former landfill authority attorney Bruce Jones in December accused the director, Jim Williams, of misusing his position to give Covanta Energy a lower-than-authorized rate for trash disposal at the White Township facility.
The allegations prompted changes to policy at the Pollution Control Financing Authority, such as requiring two signatures for contract approval.
The six-month investigation by former state Superior Court Judge Douglas K. Wolfson clears Williams of any malicious intent. Wolfson is critical, however, of former authority Chairwoman Laurel Napolitani.
