The former mayor of Mount Carbon was escorted from the weekly Schuylkill County Commissioners meeting last week.

Jeff Dunkel and Chairman Barron “Boots” Hetherington were in a verbal sparring match before Dunkel was ejected by a deputy sheriff.

Dunkel said Hetherington called him a “clown” before the meeting. Hetherington confirmed he did so but later apologized. After the meeting, Hetherington said he misspoke.

Dunkel again brought up the issue of the CARES money and the $7 million allocation he said is unaccounted for.

“Month after month I bring it up. Month after month you fail to tell me where it’s at. The money was budgeted and then spent. You used it for salaries and benefit,” he said.

He claimed the commissioners were playing a “shell game” with the money.

“The taxpayers deserve any answer where the $7 million went,” Dunkel said.

The county received $12,675,970 in CARES money from the federal government.

Mark Morgan, director of Susquehanna Consulting & Solutions Inc. of Harrisburg previously gave a breakdown of the money. Expenses included sheriff’s office salary and benefits, $944,711.91; prison/corrections salary and benefits, $3,997,056.93; 911/communications salary and benefits, $1,843,032.65, and district attorney, county detectives salary and benefits, $211,425.77.

Dunkel also asked about the allocation of funds for the American Rescue Plan. The county received about $13 million of the $27,415,708.

“You guys are saying we can’t spend it because we don’t know what the regulations are,” Dunkel said.

Hetherington said later the commissioners have a list of potential projects totaling about $50 million. He said the county is in no hurry to spend the money.

EEOC

The recent EEOC determinations that have been made public were discussed.

Dunkel said he doesn’t see what Commissioner George Halcovage Jr., who has been sued in federal court by four women, all Schuylkill County employees, is doing in the courthouse.

“The sheriff should have him barred from the whole place. This is a little ridiculous.”

Hetherington said Dunkel’s three minutes were up.

Dunkel then said a deputy could escort him out.

Hetherington made a statement about the recent EEOC decisions:

“The county is aware of the recent determination letters issued by the EEOC, which have been released to the public. The county has consistently denied the allegations of the complaints, and strongly disagrees with these findings. It is important to note that in its investigation, the EEOC did not interview anyone in the Commissioners’ office, Human Resources or the solicitor’s office in making its determinations.

“Finally, the county will continue to defend against the allegations in federal court,” the statement reads.

The first letter from the EEOC said the county should have known of Halcovage’s “harassing and unprofessional conduct prior” to the complaint being filed.

The second letter said the county was wrong when it restructured the tax assessment office. The EEOC found “the restructuring of the Office of Tax Assessment was based on pre textual reasons to retaliate against charging party and the class of females who were similarly harassed and engaged in the protected activity of filing EEOC charges.”