Says he was keeping constituents informed
Chester County Commissioner Terence Farrell is accused emailing political advertisements to government and personal addresses, but he claims he was trying to keep his constituents informed.
The email advertised a fundraiser for the campaign of Mr. Farrell, a Republican, but several Chester County Democrats are still wondering why they also received invitations at their personal and professional email addresses.
Mr. Farrell, a Republican, held the “A Pint of Chester County” fundraiser in Phoenixville on Nov. 10. The emailed flyer encouraged recipients to “become a sponsor” with donations ranging from $250 to $2,500. It asked potential sponsors to make their checks payable to “Citizens for Terence Ferrell” for the purposes of campaign finance reporting.
State Sen. Andrew Dinniman (D-Chester), the only Democrat in the General Assembly from the county, said he received the invitation to Mr. Farrell’s fundraiser at his district office in West Chester.
Mr. Dinniman said his staff replied with a letter informing Mr. Farrell’s campaign it was not allowed to send political email to a state senate office.
“It was sent here, but I certainly wouldn’t be on his list as a fundraiser,” said Mr. Dinniman. “I’ve never given him any money, I can tell you that for sure.”
Mr. Dinniman said his office was contacted by at least three other individuals, all Democrats, who received the flyer on personal email accounts.
Mr. Ferrell said the email is part of his commitment to open and transparent government, which includes keeping his constituents aware of when they might be able to meet with him.
“I like to reach out to my constituents, not only Republicans, but Democrats and independents as well,” said Mr. Farrell. “Staying in touch with my constituents is important, and if they don’t want to receive the information they can unsubscribe.”
Mr. Farrell said email addresses for public officials like Mr. Dinniman are readily available. When asked why he would send campaign information to a government office, he said Mr. Dinniman is still a constituent even though he is also public official.
When he received emails from individuals asking to be removed from the list, Mr. Farrell said he complied.
Susan Rzucidlo, a registered Democrat from southern Chester County, said she received the flyer on her personal email account in October, although she never donated to Mr. Farrell or provided his campaign with her contact information.
Last year, Ms. Rzucidlo unsuccessfully challenged state Rep. Chris Ross (R-Chester) in the 158th district.
Wondering if Mr. Farrell may have gotten her email address from a county computer, Ms. Rzucidlo contacted the State Ethics Commission about the email, but was told she does not have the authority to request an advisory on her complaint.
According to the commission, the only individuals who can request an ethics ruling are the person whose conduct is in question or the appointing authority or employer of the person whose conduct is in question.
Mr. Farrell said the email addresses on his personal list have come from multiple sources, including meetings with constituents in which business cards may have been exchanged.
“I have been gathering email addresses for a number of years. I couldn’t say specifically at this point how I got any of them,” he said.
Ms. Rzucidlo said a former Democrat state representative from Chester County also received the email at their district office in October but did not wish to be named.
Mr. Dinniman served as Chester County Commissioner for three terms, beginning in 1991. During his time as commissioner, he was the lone Democrat on the three-member board.
He defeated fellow Chester County Commissioner Carol Aichele – now Secretary of the Commonwealth under Gov. Tom Corbett – in a special election in 2006 for the state Senate seat in the 19th district, which he successfully defended in 2008.
Mr. Farrell has been a Chester County commissioner since 2008.
