A Bradford County community is facing a power vacuum in the wake of a suspension, a retirement and resignations by key municipal officials last month.
Canton Borough Council is trying to rebuild after September’s turbulent leadership changes. The board filled a vacant council member position but failed to vote in a new mayor at its Oct. 14 meeting.
In September, Councilmen Brett Neeley and David Preston, Mayor Dean Vanderpool, and solicitor David Brann resigned after longtime Borough Manager Amy Seeley was suspended. Her husband, Police Chief Doug Seeley, also retired in September.
Assistant Police Chief Trent Wright resigned effective Sept. 28, Borough Council President Michael Shultz announced last week. This newest resignation is the fifth resignation from borough leadership in a month.
The changes leave the borough of approximately 1,700 residents looking for leaders.
Officials, including Shultz and Vice President George Jennings, refused to speak with WVIA News about the reasons for Amy Seeley's suspension.
Suspension process
Amy Seeley served Canton for 24 years as its manager, treasurer, secretary and Right-to-Know officer. The borough put her on paid suspension for 90 days on Aug. 12.
Several members of borough leadership resigned in the weeks after Seeley’s suspension.
WVIA reviewed video of council meetings between Aug. 12 and Oct. 7 from area resident Walter Woods' YouTube page, SunshineK. The following issues were presented and discussed:
- Councilman Brian Koval moved to add the suspension to the board’s agenda during the board’s August meeting. “The voters choose their representatives … We’re the voices of the constituency we represent. I’ve heard this for two years now and I just can’t take it,” Koval said in the video. Local media coverage from 2020 and 2022 reports some residents complained about the conduct of Seeley and her husband as borough employees.
- The board redid the vote to suspend Amy Seeley on Sept. 9 for administrative reasons and voted for a second time to suspend her from all borough positions.
- Solicitor David Brann reported at the borough’s Sept. 19 meeting that Seeley and her lawyer requested that the board make image backups of the borough’s computer drives and back up a personal Word document folder. The folder contains information on the Western Bradford Council of Governments, Bradford County Borough Association and the Canton Area Chamber of Commerce. Seeley also asked for copies of financial statements from QuickBooks on the council of governments and the chamber of commerce, according to Brann. She is the council of governments' secretary, borough association's president and chamber of commerce's treasurer. Seeley also is Bradford County's representative to the Pennsylvania Association of Boroughs (PSAB) and is on its executive committee where she represents the eastern portion of the state.
- Doug Seeley sent in his notice of retirement on Sept. 16 and retired from the Canton Borough Police Department on Sept. 30. In his retirement letter, Doug Seeley requested for an inventory to be done of the police evidence room with Vanderpool and the assistant police chief. He asked for computer image backups of both police computers with copies for Borough Solicitor David Brann and the assistant police chief, in addition to a copy of his “full personnel file.”
- Vanderpool sent in his resignation as mayor on the same day, which the board accepted on Sept. 25. He stated, “I don’t believe the direction the borough council has taken is in the best interest of the community and I don’t wish my name to be associated with it. I would like to apologize to the residents of Canton who deserve stability and respect from their officials,” Vanderpool wrote in his resignation letter.
- Brann resigned as solicitor at the borough’s Sept. 25 meeting during an executive session toward the end of the meeting.
- During the Sept. 25 meeting, Vice President Jennings said District Attorney Richard Wilson’s office will supervise all backups of police documents. The borough planned to back up police and borough documents and complete an audit on borough documents on Sept. 27. The council held a special meeting on Oct. 7 at which Koval said the auditor did not do an audit on Sept 27.
- Koval said Amy and Doug Seeley were present during the backup on the 27th, alongside representatives from the council of governments and recently resigned Councilman Preston, who was present as a "witness" on Amy Seeley's behalf. Amy Seeley had been allowed to be present during the backup, so she could explain what documents were, according to borough council. Chris Boggs from Boggs Hi-Tech Solutions was there to perform the backup on the borough’s computers.
- However, Koval said the situation became "very hectic" and that several people started putting files from the borough office into their cars. Koval reported he tried asking them to open up boxes of documents so he could see what was being taken, but he added his "questions were not received well." He said "there was a lot of animosity" between himself and those present on the 27th, and said he should not have been the council's chosen representative that day.
DA, Amy Seeley respond
District Attorney Richard Wilson told WVIA that his office was monitoring the backups of police documents, but is not involved in borough issues, including resignations and suspensions.
In a statement to WVIA, Amy Seeley defended her job performance.
“I maintain that at all times I performed the duties and obligations of my position with the utmost professionalism despite any rumors to the contrary,” she wrote.
WVIA submitted two Right-to-Know law requests for more information about documents requested by Amy Seeley amid the controversy and is waiting for the borough’s response.
October meeting
Monday's meeting, which WVIA attended, included efforts to appoint new leadership.
Jeff Cole, a former member of borough council, will return and replace Preston, who resigned on Sept. 16.
Three residents: Rich Porter, Kathy Fitzwater and Dave Gruber, applied to be Canton’s mayor and replace Vanderpool. The council voted all three residents down. The mayoral position now goes to the council’s vacancy board, where the three applicants and any new applicants can apply for the position.
Borough council announced it would use Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC as temporary legal counsel until finding permanent legal counsel. Afterwards, the firm will stay on as special counsel.
The following issues were also presented and discussed:
- Residents said they saw Amy Seeley and Preston at the borough office on the morning of Oct. 11. Jennings said he was at the borough office while Amy Seeley was present. The office was auditing its records while Amy Seeley was in the building, according to Jennings. When residents questioned why she was present during the audit, Jennings replied, “I guess she wanted the audit and some other stuff, but we didn't give it. I don't think we gave it to her ... I was here. She didn't get anything.”
- Boggs from Boggs Hi-Tech Solutions said he took surveillance footage from a digital video recorder from the borough office on Oct. 11 and placed it into a safety deposit box held at Chemung Canal Trust Company. That video recording contains footage from early September to Oct. 10, according to Boggs.
- Residents said they also saw Amy Seeley and Preston at the bank on Friday. Boggs said he was there with the two of them as he handled surveillance footage. Preston and Boggs both had keys to the safety deposit box, according to Boggs.
- Jennings said he knew Boggs was going to bring surveillance footage to Chemung, “But I didn’t know that Amy [Seeley] was going to walk with him.” He added that the council would “take care of the situation” of Preston, a former council member and representative for Seeley, having access to the safety deposit box.
- Jennings said that the District Attorney’s office was not involved in any borough matters. He also said that Amy Seeley did remove documents from the borough office on Sept. 27, but did not elaborate.
The borough is still in the auditing process, according to Jennings.
Canton Borough's next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. at its municipal office, 4 N. Center St.
List of borough officials: current, resigned and vacancies
- Mayor Dean Vanderpool asked to resign on Sept. 16, the council accepted his resignation on Sept. 25. Position is vacant.
- Council President Michael Shultz. Current member.
- Vice-President George Jennings. Current member.
- Councilwoman Joy Williams. Current member.
- Councilman David Preston asked to resign on Sept. 16, the council accepted his resignation on Sept. 25.
- Councilman Jeff Cole is a new member of the council. He was voted in by a vote of 4-2 to the council on Oct. 14. The board will swear him in at their next meeting on Nov. 14. Cole will replace Preston.
- Councilwoman Deanna Watkins. Current member.
- Councilman Brian Koval. Current member.
- Councilman Brett Neeley resigned on Sept. 9. Position was filled on Sept. 16.
- Councilman David Atherton-Ely is a new member of the council. The board swore him in on Sept. 16 to replace Neeley.
- Police Chief Doug Seeley announced his retirement on Sept. 16 and retired on Sept. 30. Position is vacant.
- Assistant Police Chief Trent Wright resigned effective Sept. 28 and the board accepted his resignation on Oct. 14. Position is vacant.
- Solicitor David Brann resigned on Sept. 25. Position is temporarily held by Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC until the board can find permanent counsel.
