Former mayor raises his concerns to Schuylkill commissioners

As he did in June, Palo Alto resident and former Mount Carbon Mayor Jeff Dunkel used the public comment portion of the Schuylkill County Commissioners’ meeting to attack the county’s Register of Wills, Theresa Santai-Gaffney.

In June, Dunkel said that Hank Clarke, solicitor for the Register of Wills office, had his law license suspended; Clarke acknowledged an “administrative” one-day suspension due to a late submission of his annual renewal fee.

At the commissioners’ meeting Wednesday, Dunkel said that he wasn’t getting “proper” responses to his Right To Know requests. He also accused Santai-Gaffney of “taking control” of the estate of a Minersville person. He also said that he had referred the matter to the District Attorney’s office.

“You guys (the commissioners) can say, oh, that’s Dunkel starting stuff,” Dunkel said. “The DA was contacted in March and nothing was done.”

“How do you allow this to continue?” Dunkel continued. “The public deserves an answer.”

The commissioners had no comment, except Chairman George Halcovage said “thank you” when Dunkel finished speaking. After the meeting, District Attorney Mike O’Pake responded to Dunkel’s comments. He said that he remembered Dunkel presenting the information, his office had investigated, and that the allegations “had no merit.”

Dunkel, 36, became mayor of Mount Carbon, a borough of 100 in Schuylkill County, when he was 18 in 2001. He was re-elected in 2005. He had two unsuccessful campaigns for prothonotary, losing in the 2003 general election and in the 2007 primary. He ran for commissioner in 2001 but lost in the Democratic primary.