There really was no suspense. Long before Judge C. Robert Roth declared Richland supervisor Mike Zowniriw's conduct "unacceptable and illegal", everyone in the township knew it was coming.
No politics here to cloud the issue. No wiggle room for Z to make excuses afterward. Charged with disorderly conduct for throwing a rock at a neighbor's son (and taunting him to "run to mommy"), Mike defiantly acknowledged his actions without admitting they were wrong, or offering any apology. And, for the third time, Pinocchio Mike has been embarrassingly slapped down by a judge: "The actions by the defendant were, at the least, an attempt to intimidate, at worst an attempt to harm."
An attempt to intimidate. An attempt to harm!!! They go perfectly with an attempt to be a supervisor - except he was successful with the first two. For years, the residents of Station Avenue have complained about harassment by the Zowniriws. Dog bites; Wife Amy urging her dog to "Get 'em"; cursing and intimidation; loud music; lights shone in their windows; cars intentionally parked in; sudden appearances by Mike in their homes. Finally, after more than two dozen visits by Richland police, the couple was cited. Judge Roth emphasized the point - no one is above the law, and even supervisors are expected to treat neighbors with civility, if not respect.
Mike even admitted that he cast the stone, and proudly identified it at the trial! "I needed to vent. Instead of screaming, I just picked something up and tossed it". That "something" was described by Judge Roth as "not a piece of driveway gravel, but a sizeable rock". Apparently on Planet Zowniriw it is OK to vent by throwing rocks at people. And desperately-needed anger management is as foreign as the words "I'm sorry".
Mike was probably spared a whole lot more embarrassment when Judge Roth said he didn't need to hear testimony from Sergeant Mike Kisthardt about what he smelled on the defendant while investigating the incident.
The sentence of a $220 fine was light, because the neighbors got something else much more important. Z swore (with a straight face) to Judge Roth that despite the prior twenty-something calls, this was "certainly an isolated incident, and certainly will never happen again." Roth warned him that this is an "absolute commitment for future behavior". If Mike actually keeps his word, score a grand-slam win for the Station Avenue folks, and the township's reputation. The point of the criminal prosecution was not to empty Z's pockets, but to give the beleaguered neighbors some long-sought peace in their own homes and backyards. They'll believe it when they see it.
Meanwhile, Amy pled guilty to allowing the dog to run free in the neighborhood, and was fined $75. Charges of not having a license and vaccinations were dropped after she finally complied with the law. But it took a criminal prosecution, and a lot of time and expense by the Richland police, to get her to do what ordinary citizens, who are not married to an ethics-optional supervisor, do routinely and properly.
Despite Mike's claims that he was "over" the police, the cops would not charge the neighbors with any wrongdoing, so Amy filed a private criminal complaint with the Bucks County District Attorney. A rambling twelve-page "log", with more than 75 entries, blaming everyone around her. Complaints such as "neighbors snicker and point", "neighbor stuck out her tongue", "neighbor very overtly stared/gaped at us". Not surprisingly, the DA refused it.
There is exquisite irony that the criminal convictions, and the stern rebuke from Judge Roth, are for ethical breaches - a supervisor and his wife terrorizing their own neighborhood. As Roth put it, "Even though neighbors don't like each other, they have to get along. That obviously was not the case." Mike's 2003 campaign platform centered on treating people with respect. His flyer read, "Issue: Questionable ethics on the part of the Township Supervisors. Response: Honesty and integrity".
Oh, where to start on this one? In his brief tenure as a "leader", Mike has: improperly attempted to influence Judge Mitchell Goldberg in the YMCA case, prompting the judge to call the actions "entirely inappropriate", and issue a warning that Z not do it again; approved a misleading letter (written by a political pal) to Hunters Crossing residents, erroneously indicating that the township would fight the developer of their subdivision for them. Honesty and integrity indeed.
Mike also pushed to get both his wife, and the head of his election campaign, onto a township board, and then publicly demanded the resignation of the board chairman for refusing to support them; campaigned against supervisors being on township boards, but applied to join the Planning Commission; attempted to re-zone land after the application process had begun; called three township volunteers at their homes to berate them for writing letters to the editor critical of him. Honesty and integrity indeed.
Then there were his accusations of illegal spot zoning, which were disproved by the special master. He asserted that Richland's Recording Secretary "was showing her bias in the minutes". He threatened The Free Press staff, and me. Perhaps the low point was when he turned off the water to his elderly disabled neighbors, and built a wall across their basement to keep them from getting to their own well. They had to haul him into court to get access to the well, and try to prevent a repeat. Honesty and integrity indeed.
Mike's political support is long gone. Only Jane Steeley and Pat Murphy (the other Pat Murphy) sat silently in the courtroom, which was packed with supporters of the neighbors. Quite a record for a guy less than three years in office.
Punishment for Mike - $220.
Punishment for Amy - $75.
Peace for the neighbors - Priceless.