During its regular meeting Tuesday the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners briefly discussed a letter they received Monday regarding recent and ongoing conduct by County Prosecutor John McDonough. The commission will reportedly discuss the matter further at its next Executive Committee meeting.
The letter was signed by 59th District State Representative Aaron Miller, three Branch County residents, and 22 St. Joseph County residents that include several township officials and 59th District candidates. It seeks McDonough’s resignation over a recent drunk driving arrest and allegations of long-term failures of duty.
During Tuesday’s citizen comments, two speakers urged commissioners to consider the matter further. Tadd Davis was one of them. “I realize there is probably process and procedures you guys have to follow, but what we’re really doing here is we really want you to follow up on this. I hope that this evening, we want to board to continue to look into it, investigate what they have to do,” Davis said.
“We really want to make a change, the people that are on this letter, but there’s many others in the county that want to see change too. It’s not just about election. This is about, we don’t want to pay Mr. McDonough through the end of the year if he’s not going to come back and do the job. So, even if he doesn’t win the election, we’ve still got to deal with this for another six months. So, I really feel, as representatives of our county, which you guys are, I encourage you to look into it further and do what you can. Do the right thing here, guys.”
County Commission Chair Dennis Allen said the matter would go on the agenda for further discussion at the next Executive Committee meeting. “At that time, the board will discuss the options and so forth” according to applicable law, Allen said. The Executive Committee typically meets the week prior to each County Commission meeting to plan an agenda. The next Executive meeting will take place on July 29.
County Commissioner Kathy Pangle said she is “looking forward to our next Executive meeting, and I feel we need to listen to our legal advisor on how we need to move forward. But, speaking as a taxpayer and as not member of the board, I am supportive of the letter and those that signed it.”
Dave Vago is a staff writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.
