Court Opinion

ID: 9637216
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 15:00:39.802145+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:09:54.465834
License: Public Domain

PAPADAKOS, Justice,
concurring.
I concur in the result reached by the Court, but I disagree with the short shrift given to the facts in the matter of Ross Cioppa, et al., No. 36 W.D. Appeal Docket 1991.
As stated in the Per Curiam Opinion, the Ethics Act requires that financial statements be filed with the local governing authority on or before the last day for filing a petition to appear on the ballot for election. Mr. Zentner hand delivered his financial statement and those of Marilyn J. Stevens and Richard W. Masten to Mr. Leonard Cunic, a council member for the Borough of Braddock Hills. Mr. Cunic accepted the statements and assured Mr. Zentner that they would be delivered to the Borough Secretary that evening during the Borough meeting. He neglected to do so and they were subsequently deposited with the Borough Secretary after the deadline had expired.
The problem I have with the case is that the Ethics Act does not define the phrase “local governing authority.” The majority assumes, sub silentio, that the Borough Secretary is the local governing authority. Without more, I cannot make that assumption.1 I believe that the mayor and council are the *572governing authority and the proper delivery to any of those members constitutes delivery to the local governing authority as required by the Act. Of course, I will concede that the borough secretary is authorized to accept documents on behalf of the local governing authority. But I do not concede that the borough secretary is the local governing authority.
In many small municipalities, the office of Borough Secretary is handled by one person. Would the majority come to the same conclusion if the borough secretary were unavailable and the police chief unofficially filled in during the absence of the borough secretary? Or is the majority saying, again sub silentio, that delivery of the financial statement must be made to the office of the borough secretary, no matter what Borough official or employee may be manning the desk? If so, they should say so. Because I find that the delivery of the financial statements of Zentner, Stevens and Masten were made to the local governing authority by handing same to a member of the governing body, I believe that the mandate of the Ethics Act was met. I, therefore, concur in the result.
LARSEN, J., joins this concurring opinion.

. I note that the Ethics Commission has directed applicants for council positions to file their statements with the borough secretary. This appears in the instruction section which is part of the Financial Disclosure Statement. I know not from whence this authority arises for the Commission to expand on the Act of the Legislature which merely compels filing with the local government authority. I, there*572fore, would consider this instruction by the Commission to be directive and not mandatory.