Title:
Brenda Mott and Judge Mott

Description:
add comments at: http://www.keystonepolitics.com/ Brenda Mott stole at least 500,000 bucks and her husband seems to think it is ok. In fact the IRS seems to think it is ok. the IRS is only interested in people making money honestly.CANTON - A former Bradford County commissioner and a retired attorney share the chairmanship of a new organization formed to oppose county Judge John C. Mott's bid for retention to a third term in the Nov. 6 general election. The organization, called "Committee to Oppose Mott," is chaired by William T. McNett of Canton, a former chairman of the Bradford County commissioners, and Robert Murphy of North Towanda, the retired attorney. Richard J. Segur, a Canton business leader, is the treasurer. In a statement released Wednesday by McNett, the group said, "The Committee to Oppose Mott was formed by a group of ordinary citizens, residents and taxpayers of Bradford County who strongly believe that John Mott's retention as a judge would not be in the best interests of the county." McNett said the formal committee was an outgrowth of two recent meetings attended by 35-40 people. The statement also said: "It is the opinion of the committee that a judge should be one whose public and personal life is such an unquestionable example of integrity and moral soundness that he can sit in judgment of his fellow man. It is also the opinion of the committee that John Mott is not such a man." McNett said the committee intended to act as though it were Mott's opponent. In a retention election, voters are asked to vote either "yes" or "no" on whether the judge should serve a 10-year term. Mott had the option of running for retention or for re-election. To be retained, the judge must receive 50 percent of the vote, plus one. If he had opted for re-election, others could have filed to run against him and the winner would need only a plurality of the votes cast to win. According to the new group's prepared statement: "It should be noted that when a sitting judge chooses to run for retention rather than election, he gains a tremendous advantage because there can be no individual to oppose him and present an opportunity for comparison by the voters. "Hence, the purpose of the committee is to raise valid questions on the suitability of John Mott to remain in this prestigious office, such as an opponent might raise." In the interview, McNett said the committee's activities would include sending out fliers and printing and distributing signs. In addition, he said, the group anticipates challenging the judge to a debate. Efforts to obtain a response from Judge Mott were not successful Wednesday afternoon. A detailed message was left with his office staff, who said he was in a meeting and unavailable. The judge had not returned the call by 10 p.m. The judge has come under increasing criticism in the wake of his wife, Brenda's, late-2005 conviction on four felony counts for embezzling in excess of $520,000 from the Canton Borough Authority, where she was bookkeeper and office manager. The authority maintains the community's water and sewer systems. The judge was not charged with any crime and the state attorney general's office, which prosecuted the case, said only Mrs. Mott was involved in stealing the money over a six-year period. The Motts live in Canton. Mrs. Mott served a minimum nine-month jail term, during which she had work-release privileges, and is now free. She is making restitution from what has been described as akin to a minimum-wage position. The borough authority has filed a civil suit and is in the process of trying to force Mrs. Mott to provide more detailed answers to what happened to the money she admitted stealing. She has refused to answer, saying she has a Fifth Amendment right to do so. The judge, in the recent past, has said his retention campaign should be focused solely on his record as a judge - which he said was highly regarded - not on what his wife had done. Sentiment against Judge Mott appears to be particularly strong in his home community and the committee is opening an office there, according to McNett. However, the committee "is not a Canton-only group," he said, mentioning participants from other areas. "We invite people from all corners of the county to join us because all of them will be impacted by the outcome of this election," he said. "We want to make sure the entire county has the opportunity to participate." The group has registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Elections, according to the statement, which also said contributions "to further the efforts of the committee" may be made payable to "Committee to Oppose Mott" and mailed to Box 33, Canton, Pa. 17724. William Mcnett Tel.: (570) 673-3628

Author:
josephdupont

Tags:
corruption, crime, lies, prison,