What is WRONG with Radnor Township? Can't they check people out?

Regarding our SAC friends the Sahas, eminent domain and Coatesville 2002:

...Sun told council he opposed their actions to take the Saha property and felt it was a move of "fiscal irresponsibility" and would "do little to help revitalize Coatesville."

Paul G. Janssen Jr., Coatesville city manager, said responses such as these are simply those of gadflies. "They just like this sort of thing," he said, of the controversy surrounding the city's actions...."(Eminent domain) is more than a local issue ..to me it's an attack on the fundamental right to private property," said Sun.

Regarding Coatesville $7 Million defecit - March 2005:

Coatesville council last night unanimously agreed to an emergency $7 million transfer from a $36 million trust fund after learning that former City Manager Paul Janssen had misled them regarding the city's finances.

"I am having trouble making payroll," said Elizabeth McQuiston, the city's business manager..........Last night Council Member Marty Eggleston severely chastised Janssen for misleading the city regarding the 2003 audit. "Paul Janssen looked me right in the eye and lied to me," Eggleston said.

Regarding 2006 departure/firing from Norristown:

With municipal corruption cases and a brush with bankruptcy behind it, Norristown municipal government seemed to be righting itself in 2006. But that changed Wednesday, when the Norristown council announced that Municipal Manager Paul Janssen was being ousted because of a health insurance contracting error that cost the borough $170,000.

Janssen had been on the job in Norristown only since April 2005, earning $117,000 a year. "The difficulties over the insurance certainly entered into the decision," said Council President Bill Procyson. "One of the issues was that Mr. Janssen was not as forthcoming as he could have been..."

Flash forward to 2010 in Radnor:

Posted on Sat, Jan. 2, 2010
Ex-Coatesville manager Janssen in line in Radnor
By Bonnie L. Cook
Inquirer Staff Writer

Paul G. Janssen Jr., the former Coatesville manager who left under a cloud and then resigned amid an insurance flap from his next job as Norristown's manager, is in line to become Radnor Township's interim manager.

Monday night, Radnor's seven commissioners will vote on whether to hire Janssen for part-time work Monday through Friday at a salary of $100 an hour. The commissioners' meeting agenda was posted late this week.

Janssen, 53, works as interim manager in Yeadon Borough, tending its affairs part-time two days a week, said newly elected Radnor Commissioner John Nagle. A search firm suggested Janssen's name.

Nagle said Janssen would help Radnor because he could be in the township building for part of each workday, monitoring the township's business, while other candidates could not.

"The real point is, at this time, we're not seeing him do much more than caretaking," Nagle said. "We hope to have a full-time manager in six to eight weeks."

If the appointment is approved, Janssen would succeed interim Manager John A. Granger, whose tenure ends Monday.

The township is struggling toward normalcy after a scandal involving Granger's predecessor, David A. Bashore.

Bashore, Radnor's manager for eight years, was suspended Feb. 26 and fired March 3 after questions arose about $128,500 in bonuses he allegedly paid himself and almost $400,000 in expenses that could not be accounted for in an audit of township funds.

Bashore has sued the township, alleging his privacy was violated by the township and its auditor. The township treasurer has countersued to recover the money in question.

Nagle said the fracas has created tension within the township staff, now split between workers for and against Bashore.

"The environment in the building is so toxic right now," Nagle said. "The charge we're going to give Janssen is, try to see if we can't build some bridge to the staff. We talked to some people in Yeadon, and they thought he was a great team-builder."

Janssen, who spent seven years as Coatesville's manager, resigned on April 6, 2005, after questions arose about his handling of an eminent domain case involving farmland, and also what officials called his failure to reflect accurately the state of the city's finances to its governing council.

The latter caused the city to dip into a reserve trust fund to cover a $7 million budget deficit in August 2005.

Janssen then became manager in Norristown, where he hired a former colleague as human resources manager at a $64,000 salary, although she lacked training for the job.

The worker failed to tell one health insurance carrier that she had hired another. As a result, Norristown had to pay $170,000 for a double monthly insurance premium. Janssen resigned, and the HR manager was fired in the fall of 2006.....Janssen could not be reached for comment last night; his home phone in Downingtown was not in service.

William Procyson, president of Norristown's governing council when Janssen was town manager, said ..."But I don't feel he was as forthcoming as he could have been about the debacle with the insurance, and that impacted our decision to part ways with him," Procyson said.

Incoming Radnor Commissioner Elaine Schaefer said whoever is appointed interim manager is unlikely to set policy because of the job's anticipated short tenure.

"It's important that we keep our eyes on the prize . . .," Schaefer said, "finding a competent manager as quickly and efficiently as possible."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact staff writer Bonnie L. Cook at 610-313-8232 or

Ok, still irritated one day after discovering a guy who cost two nearly broke municipalities so much, was basically called a liar by officials in both communities is probably coming to Radnor. We broke this story yesterday after reading the last minute posting of Radnor's Board of Commissioners agenda:

And he is supposed to be in Radnor to calm the poor employees split between being FOR and AGAINST Bashore? At $100 an hour? Are you freaking kidding me? They are municipal employees. They should be grateful they still have jobs. If they don't like it, let them leave. In this economy they will either save Radnor taxpayers more money or someone else will apply for the job. They want a $100 an hour babysitter? I'll do it, LOL! But seriously? To expend more taxpayer monies to calm the employees who shouldn't have the luxury of being pro or con Bashore while on the clock is absurd. They have jobs with a current 3 1/2% increase with cushy benefits, and a lot of them got Dave's special bonuses "for loyalty" and they haven't had to give them back, they aren't getting surcharged and then there is compensation gate? You know all that accrued time they can cash out at a later date on the township dime?

So, Radnor? Do you want an earned income tax? He has done that in Yeadon, one of the poorest Delco Boroughs. While he has been in Yeadon he made that happen. Along with increases in trash fees. Now he claims he cut taxes, but umm, if the money is being made up by EIT's and trash fees and other stuff, what is the cut?

And what else? Oh yes, under his yeadon baby-sitting a council boycott? Nice stuff. And he won't be making decisions in Radnor, he's just going to be an employee coddler? And over-priced baby-sitter?

And my my my his consulting biz must be profitable (in case anyone wants to call him):

I can NOT believe that Radnor would go through all the stuff you have gone through with Bashoregate to appoint a guy who is a two time municipal loser with a not so thin veil of corruption following him from job to job?

Seriously, who does their due diligence here? PAUL JANNSSEN? And well, let's get honest, the media has followed this guy like flies on well...you know...the Inquirer alone has quite the archival article file on him.

Sorry to be rude, but Radnor is being VERY foolish and incredibly stupid and what they are doing will affect an entire municipality.

This guy breeds bad news and problems follow him like the Peanuts character that has a storm cloud following it. WHY can't the public vet temporary candidates? Will his special friend Fran Newlin from Norristown and Coatesville be joining him?