Former Zoning Officer Makes Claims Of Wrongdoing At Meeting

Falls Township’s former chief code enforcement officer made a surprise appearance at the Tuesday evening Board of Supervisors meeting.

Former code enforcer Tom Bennett walked up to the podium to explain his resignation and address rumors that have swirled around his summer departure. His statements are the first he had made publicly.

This news organization has been looking into Bennett’s claims since August and had been unable to get in touch with Bennett.

The former employee addressed the Supervisors and took exception to Chairman Bob Harvie’s comments in a WBCB-AM article that stated Bennett resigned and moved to South Carolina.

“Mr. Harvie you said Tom resigned because he had been wanting to move to South Carolina for a while. And you’re right, some day I do want to move to South Carolina. In a couple years,” Bennett stated.

“You want to know the truth: Tom resigned because he was being forced to signed a certificate of occupancy for a home that had substantial violations and you guys (the Supervisors) are aware of this,” he added.

In his public comments and a short interview with reporters after, Bennett said the home – which LevittownNow.com has confirmed is in the Fallsington section of the township off Tyburn Road – had numerous “life safety” violations relating to the fence around the pool, a carbon monoxide detector, and electrical problems. He stated he would not sign the certificate of occupancy because the issues needed to be addressed.

Bennett said the Supervisors and township attorneys wanted him to pass the house when it was not safe.

Supervisor Vice Chairman Jeff Dence said the claims were “nonsense” and disputed what Bennett said.

Responding to the statements, township Solicitor Michael Clarke said Bennett was “wrong on the law” and was confused about current state regulations for occupancy. He further stated that the township did not do anything wrong.

Following the incident over the home, Bennett was suspended for 2.5 days and later resigned from the township, sources said.

Dence responded that Bennett’s resignation helped the township because they didn’t have to fire him.

Clarke told reporters after the Supervisors meeting that Bennett was a “disgruntled employee.”

Disputing rumors, Bennett said he is not planning to sue Falls Township at this time. He also stated he has not contacted or been approached by law enforcement.

When asked, Bennett said he did not feel the township had put pressure on him to approve other homes and buildings over the 12 years he was at his post.

Falls Township, citing exemptions in the Pennsylvania Right to Know law, declined to provide documents related to the suspension and end of employment for Bennett at the township. This news organization filed a request for the documents last week and heard back promptly.

The WBCB-AM article covered Bennett leaving the township and also put forward allegations from unnamed sources about alleged improper activity involving Supervisors and local unions. LevittownNow.com has looked into similar claims over the past two years and has not been able to confirm them to the point of publication.

Clarke said members of the township’s governing body had contacted a separate lawyer to discuss a possible libel lawsuit against WBCB-AM. Libel lawsuits can be tough to win and even harder for public officials.

WBCB-AM reportedly has a lawyer working to defend their news organization and has continued to stand by their reporting.