Lawsuit against local GOP remanded to trial court – Bucks Round-Up – September 18, 2025
Lawsuit against local GOP remanded to trial court
A three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court this week returned litigation filed by Barry Casper and dozens of other disgruntled Bucks County Republican Committee members against BCRC to a local trial court. Commonwealth Court President Judge Emerita Mary Hannah Leavitt (R) found the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas incorrectly denied it had jurisdiction over the matter because the complaint concerned intra-party issues.
The plaintiffs contest the legitimacy of Poprik’s reelection as BCRC chair in 2022, alleging party rules about proxy voting cannot stand under a state law governing nonprofits. Specifically, they argue that party bylaws authorizing proxy voting lack proper certification, an argument party leaders and attorneys dispute. Supporters of the plaintiffs welcomed the ruling, which would allow the plaintiffs to resume the information gathering process known as discovery, unless the local GOP succeeds in appealing.
“It’s not the wild west anymore, folks: You can’t just do whatever you want and make up bylaws whatever way you want, disregard the bylaws that you have whenever you choose to, and think that the court is going to say, ‘I’m not getting involved; it’s a private club; you guys work it out yourselves,” said Andy Meehan, a founder of the conservative Right for Bucks activist group.
Casper, who is no longer participating as a plaintiff, also initially wanted the courts to find that the state GOP should have resolved the Bucks dispute in his favor. But attorney Matt Wolfe, who represented former Pennsylvania Republican Chair Lawrence Tabas before the Commonwealth Court, expects that the state court’s new decision will mean the end of the Pennsylvania GOP’s involvement in the case. He dismissed challenges to bylaws’ validity as frivolous and believes a trial judge will feel similarly. “The reality is the bylaws were on file with the County Board of Elections, so they’re the bylaws by state law,” he said. “And the election was run according to the bylaws.”
BCRC attorney Joe Cullen agreed, also emphasizing that the county party made preliminary objections the trial court could still rule on that may restrict the plaintiff’s case. “Even if it goes back [to the trial court], he said, “there’s a possibility that much of that complaint is going to be gutted by our other preliminary objections because we’re going go request that they be ruled upon.”
BCRC Executive Director Phil Mironov dismissed the plaintiffs’ characterization of the bylaws as misinformation: “There has been no finding that the bylaws are not valid nor was there any finding that the officers of the Bucks GOP were not properly elected. We would prefer to spend our time and energies electing Republicans, however, if necessary, we are prepared to prove that our by-laws that have been in existence for over 50 years, are valid. So, we are asking everyone to ignore the noise and keep up your efforts on getting Republicans to sign up for the mail in ballot and focus on what is really important getting our candidates elected on November 4th.”
Editor’s note: This item has been updated with a statement from the Bucks County Republican Committee.
Sheriff Harran blasts commissioners over opioid funds
Bucks County Sheriff Fred Harran delivered a fiery rebuke at Wednesday’s commissioners meeting, alleging his office has been unfairly excluded from opioid settlement grants. Harran, invited to speak by Republican Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo, said his repeated requests for $25,000 in funding have been ignored despite other departments receiving approvals. “The hatred for Fred Harran,” the sheriff said, is holding up a list of mini-grants. “I am the only one… pending by the commissioners, 2023–2025. Everybody else has gone on their way.” Harran also noted that Democratic Commissioner Diane Marseglia left the meeting before he spoke, suggesting she had “no interest” in hearing his remarks. Chairman Bob Harvie pushed back, reminding Harran that the board previously granted staffing increases the sheriff had long sought. “You were given the staff and the funding,” Harvie said, arguing that Harran’s choice to redirect deputies into programs of his own design ran counter to his earlier requests. Harvie also dismissed Harran’s proposal to provide school resource officers across the county, calling the plan impractical for a department stretched from Bristol to Quakertown. The exchange underscored growing tensions between the Democrat-controlled board and the Republican sheriff, who has often clashed with commissioners over resources and priorities.
Harran testifies in ICE-related lawsuit, underscores 287(g) as crime-fighting tool
One such clash came to the fore as Harran testified for two hours on Tuesday, defending his department’s decision to pursue an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to train Bucks deputies to assist the federal agency and undergo special training to do so. Bucks’s Democratic commissioners have opposed the move. The sheriff emphasized that the arrangement, known as a 287(g) agreement, would only entail immigration-status checks for those who are subject to criminal charges or arrest warrants. “The plan is to be able to issue detainers and check the ICE database for people already in our custody,” he explained. Members of far-left outfits like Indivisible Bucks County gathered outside the courthouse to protest the Republican sheriff who faces a reelection challenge this year from Democrat Danny Ceisler who, like Ellis-Marseglia and Harvie, is against the 287(g) arrangement.
Levittown blaze displaces dozens, sends three to hospital
A fast-moving fire tore through the Levittown Terrace Apartments early Wednesday morning, displacing residents and injuring three people. Bristol Township police were first on scene at the 3000 block of Ford Road just before 6 a.m., rushing into the building to evacuate tenants. Firefighters then spent several hours battling flames that had already spread from a second-floor unit to the third floor and attic. Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito reported that twelve apartments were rendered uninhabitable. Two firefighters and one resident were taken to the hospital with injuries. Their conditions have not been released. Dippolito praised the quick action of police and firefighters, noting that their rapid response likely prevented greater loss of life. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
Bucks County DA’s office continues to protect older adults
Bucks County prosecutors joined law enforcement, social workers, and healthcare professionals for the 22nd Annual William J. Neff, Sr. Symposium on the Prevention of Crimes Against Older Adults, held at Bucks County Community College’s Zlock Performing Arts Center this week. District Attorney Jennifer Schorn led a team from her office at the daylong event, which highlighted new tactics for protecting seniors from fraud, abuse, and neglect. The symposium featured experts from across the country, including retired San Diego prosecutor Paul Greenwood, who urged a “multi-disciplinary approach” to elder abuse cases. Greenwood also warned that artificial intelligence is increasingly being weaponized in fraud schemes aimed at seniors. Federal officials weighed in as well. U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Sunny Notani shared case studies on online scams, underscoring how quickly criminals adapt and how investigators are responding. Locally, Bucks County Deputy District Attorney A.J. Garabedian, Chief Deputy Marc Furber, and Detective Eric Landamia discussed courtroom strategies used to hold abusers accountable. They described both the physical and financial exploitation of older residents and the hurdles prosecutors face in bringing cases to trial. The symposium also tackled self-neglect, with one session exploring hoarding as a warning sign and providing practical tools for those who work with at-risk seniors. “Protecting our most vulnerable residents requires collaboration,” DA Schorn said, emphasizing that sharing expertise and learning from others is central to the county’s mission. With an aging population and increasingly sophisticated scams, county leaders say continued education and cooperation are essential to safeguarding older adults in Bucks County.
Joe LeCompte hosts LeCompte in the Morning on WBCB 1490. Bradley Vasoli is the senior editor of The Independence.
