LOWER SAUCON TWP., Pa. — Lower Saucon Township now has a new interim solicitor, after the previous solicitor walked away from the position after just two weeks.
During a meeting Wednesday with only one agenda item that didn’t see a vote until 90 minutes into the session, Steven Goudsouzian of Easton-based firm Goudsouzian & Associates was appointed township interim general/civil solicitor.
Goudsouzian also will assist with legal matters for the township Planning Commission and Environmental Advisory Council as of Thursday.
He’s set to be paid $180 an hour for his legal consulting.
Attorney Mark Freed called it quits but would serve until the last day of the month, according to a Jan. 18 resignation letter submitted to council.
He was not at Wednesday’s meeting.
Goudsouzian’s appointment came following a 3-2 vote, with councilmen Jason Banonis and Thomas Carocci opposed.
Freed works with Curtin & Heefner firm of Doylestown, Bucks County, and was brought on as township solicitor at the Jan. 2 reorganization meeting following the November election.
He replaced B. Lincoln Treadwell Jr., who had served in the role for 23 years before his appointment expired Dec. 31, 2023. The township paid Treadwell $220 an hour for his legal services.
During that Jan. 2 meeting, three councilwomen — all three Democrats: one incumbent and two new members — also were sworn in, flipping the panel majority from what was once 4-1 Republican to what’s now 3-2 Democrat.
'Clown show'
Three minutes into the meeting, Councilman Jason Banonis said any action on the resignation letter or appointing a new solicitor would violate the state Sunshine Law because there was no corresponding advertisement involved.
He ended with a call for adjournment.
“We’re now here at our fourth Lower Saucon Township Council meeting in as many weeks; it’s the fourth installment of this clown show,” Banonis said.
“We’re now onto our third solicitor in three weeks — three weeks, three solicitors. There was no agenda item here to accept the resignation of Mark Freed, Esquire; there’s nothing to discuss today.”
Council President Priscilla deLeon said she had originally contacted Goudsouzian about the role.
“We’re now onto our third solicitor in three weeks — three weeks, three solicitors. There was no agenda item here to accept the resignation of Mark Freed, Esquire; there’s nothing to discuss today.”Lower Saucon Twp. councilman Jason Banonis
Goudsouzian said he spoke to deLeon at the swearing-in ceremony for Brian Panella, who had worked at Goudsouzian’s firm before his election as Northampton County judge.
Township Manager Mark Hudson confirmed the public was never notified of the need to hire a new solicitor, nor was a pool of interested applicants ever gathered.
The Jan. 24 council agenda only included two resolutions that listed the potential appointment of Goudsouzian and his respective pay rates.
“DeLeon gave me the name, I spoke to Mr. Goudsouzian,” Hudson said. “We’re looking to move forward with an interim solicitor and get some things accomplished that we need to do.”
He said at some point following the interim period, the township would put out a request for proposal to gather credentials and interview for an official solicitor.
'Harangued'
The bunch began speaking about the Jan. 17 Verizon cell tower conditional use hearing, for which Freed was asked to advise the proceedings involved.
Some locals said Freed was “harangued” by Carocci and Banonis during that meeting, while the two councilmen said the new solicitor wasn’t a proper choice to replace Treadwell.
That previous 5 1/2-hour meeting can be watched here.
“What we witnessed at the last meeting was total harassment, period,” township resident Robert Blasko said.
“I get it sounds like it’s a lot of solicitor changes,” resident Frank Palumbo said. “But the reality is, we just got one new solicitor with the new council, and a couple of guys here want to make a big stink out of that deal.”
“The reason the other solicitor left is because Mr. Carocci and Mr. Banonis attacked him at every point. I don’t know how he’d even sit there and put up with that harassment; it was intolerable.”Lower Saucon Twp. resident Russell Sutton
Carocci said it wasn’t that simple. He said deLeon commandeered the new appointment process without sharing details with other council members before the meeting.
“For 23 years, we had a non-political solicitor; his name was Linc Treadwell,” Carocci said.
“He served both Republicans and Democrats, and he was effective. He kept the council out of a lot of legal peril and didn’t play favorites or pick sides.”
Some in the audience said they couldn’t blame Freed for leaving.
“The reason the other solicitor left is because Mr. Carocci and Mr. Banonis attacked him at every point,” resident Russell Sutton said.
“I don’t know how he’d even sit there and put up with that harassment; it was intolerable.”
Moving forward
Banonis then read from a Saucon Valley Together mailer — a pre-election advertisement for the three Democrats on the panel — that said, “voters deserve respect, cooperation and transparency.”
“They go on and they say, ‘Stop wasteful spending on legal fees and unplanned projects,’” Banonis read. “They will be a ‘watchdog’ over taxpayer dollars.
“What about the wasteful spending of [the] revolving door of solicitors we have?”
“I think the responsible thing is to appoint somebody immediately, somebody who has the qualifications and the ability to move forward."Lower Saucon Twp. councilwoman Victoria Opthof-Cordaro
Councilwoman Laura Ray said she wanted to just move forward with someone new.
“There was a lot of things said during our campaign by our citizens, and residents have different reasons why they did not want to move forward with [Treadwell]," Ray said. “We are here to represent those people.
“The only reason [Freed] left is because of the ridiculous behavior that occurred at the meetings so far.”
Councilwoman Victoria Opthof-Cordaro said, “I think the responsible thing is to appoint somebody immediately, somebody who has the qualifications and the ability to move forward.”
Carocci later made a motion to reappoint Treadwell. That failed 3-2.
Potential conflicts of interest
Banonis and Carocci said they didn’t feel the new interim solicitor candidate was qualified for the job.
Banonis said borough and township municipal procedures are different, and Goudsouzian’s resume listed experience serving boroughs such as Northampton, North Catasauqua and West Easton, as well as other boards, authorities and police groups.
Goudsouzian said that years ago he served as the alternate solicitor for Forks Township.
He added that he’s represented the Bethlehem Landfill before on “some business matters from time to time,” but he doesn’t work with any of their environmental or expansion-related cases.
He also said he never represented St. Luke’s University Health Network, nor recalled representing any of its employees in any case in particular.
Goudsouzian said that while he serves Hellertown Zoning Hearing Board, he didn’t foresee there being a conflict of interest, even among the borough’s numerous legal battles with Lower Saucon.
