POTTSVILLE — Schuylkill County officials did not release more details Monday about the allegations against commissioners Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr., although they did say they would become available later this week.
“I don’t really have anything more to tell you other than what I told you last week,” assistant county solicitor and Risk Manager Glenn T. Roth Jr. said when asked about the situation involving allegations against Halcovage.
County officials revealed Friday that Halcovage is under investigation for what they called “serious allegations” involving a personnel matter. They declined to be more specific about the allegations or the person or persons making them.
In his own statement released after the allegations became public, Halcovage denied committing any sexual harassment or misconduct, which he understood were the substance of the complaints.
Halcovage also said he has not been allowed to review the complaints or provided any details about them.
An insurance salesman who lives in Pottsville, Halcovage was first elected commissioner in 2011, when he teamed with Frank J. Staudenmeier to recapture control of the board of commissioners from the Democrats. They were re-elected in 2015 and 2019; Halcovage became chairman in January 2016, after receiving the highest number of votes in the 2015 election, and has served in that position since that time.
Halcovage lost the 2018 Republican primary race for the 9th Congressional District seat to Luzerne County businessman and former state Secretary of Revenue Dan Meuser, who went on to win the seat in November. Meuser is running for re-election this year.
In the statement he prepared Friday, Roth wrote that many of the allegations appeared “credible” but he did not release any details. He did write that the county would release a more detailed statement this week.
On Monday, Roth said that statement is in the works.
“We are working on a statement, but I don’t know when it will be released this week,” he said.
Neither Halcovage nor County Administrator Gary R. Bender could be reached Monday for further comment on the matter.
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