Editor’s Note: Bradford County Prothonotary Sally Vaughn (file photo above) has been the subject of numerous news stories over the past four years, whether for the many technical upgrades she oversaw for her department or for the seemingly endless inter-courthouse struggles between Vaughn and the County Commissioners.
The following press release directly from Vaughn indicates both that she intends to leave the political arena – at least temporarily – and that she continues to disagree with the commissioners on how and when tax payer dollars are spent relative to the Prothonotary office. The piece is shown here in its entirety. EndlessMtnLifestyles.com invites any or all of the Bradford County Commissioners to provide a response.
It has been my utmost privilege to work for the taxpayers as the Prothonotary of Bradford County for almost 16 years. I truly appreciate the support that I have received in every election in terms of votes but, more importantly, it has been a real pleasure getting to know residents from every corner of Bradford County.
At this point in time, I need to devote more time to my family. It is with mixed emotions that I make this decision to not run for re-election. I would be amiss to not give my staff a most heartfelt “thank you” for their years of support, total dedication, and understanding under some very stressful work conditions. I am so proud of the accomplishments that we have made together.
My hope is that the next election would bring in a Board of Commissioners that could become knowledgeable on the job skills required of employees of the office of Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts and agree to bring pay grades in line with all other county offices. This has been requested by me and refused for the last 11 years. With my departure, I firmly believe that my hard working staff will get the compensation that they so heartily deserve.
Also, I would hope that the taxpayers of Bradford County would ask more questions about why and how business decisions are made by the Commissioners. I have said for years that a complete study of all county offices, as was done in the 1980s, would show which offices were too lean or too rich. This is the only way to be impartial and save taxpayers their hard earned income. An expensive study was done on my office but, because it was not county wide, legal advice was given to me to not participate. The Commissioners did not heed the study anyway.
I have enjoyed my years at the courthouse and my practical studies in county finances, politics, and human nature. To say it has been interesting would be an understatement.
Thank you to everyone for giving me this opportunity for learning and serving.
Sincerely,
Sally Fairchild Vaughn