Boraski declines Falls reelection bid, supports Loteckie; Lawson also running

Falls Township Supervisor Jeff Boraski hasn’t filed his required campaign-finance reports in almost five years. In March, he avoided creating more work for himself and didn’t file reelection paperwork either. 

The eleven-year incumbent Democrat will retire amid revelations he failed to report getting $27,850 in campaign donations from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) since 2020. It’s impossible to know whether he reported any of the $55,000 the union gave him before that because Bucks County only guarantees campaign finance records are preserved over a five-year period. 

Boraski did bother to do one thing lately, though, albeit casually: support someone to succeed him.

Waste Management employee and licensed inspector Tim Loteckie announced this winter he would run for Boraski’s seat, the only Falls supervisor spot at stake in the 2025 elections. On February 18, Loteckie said via Facebook, “As your next Falls Township Supervisor, I will work with the current board of supervisors to quickly learn the ropes of this very important position and begin 2026 ready to roll up my sleeves for all of our residents.”

Among the more than 30 people smashing the “Like” button on that post: Boraski and his Board of Supervisors colleague Jeff Dence, a fellow Democrat who raked $234,000 of IBEW cash into his campaign coffers since 2009. An investigation by Independence parent site Broad + Liberty discovered Dence failed to disclose at least $36,500 of that on his campaign-finance reports. 

The Independence emailed Boraski and Dence for comment on why they embraced Loteckie’s candidacy. They didn’t respond.

At least not in words. When this author returned to the Facebook post to view the likes, neither Boraski’s nor Dence’s name was visible. 

Third-party observers confirmed they could view Boraski’s name but not Dence’s, leaving the impression that Boraski blocked this writer and Dence either removed or hid his like. (A screenshot showing both Boraski and Dence endorsing Loteckie’s announcement is viewable here.)

What Loteckie thinks about his supporters currently on the township board taking tens of thousands of union dollars and not disclosing them, one can’t say, for he also didn’t answer a comment request. 

The frequently unreported IBEW campaign dollars flowing to Falls Township Democrats have drawn particular scrutiny due to an ongoing Federal Bureau of Investigation probe. The bureau is exploring allegations that township officials cooperated with the labor organization’s regional chapter to pressure local businesses to hire union tradesmen. 

County Commissioners Chair Bob Harvie (D), who formerly chaired the Falls Board of Supervisors, reportedly testified before the grand jury investigating IBEW Local 269, of which both Boraski and Dence are members. Harvie, who has taken large sums from the union’s national political action committee, announced earlier this month he intends to run for Republican Brian Fitzpatrick’s congressional seat.

Republicans are already running online advertisements against the commissioner. An ad by the GOP-aligned Defending America PAC mentions the FBI investigation.

“YOU WILL BE 100% EXPOSED FOR THE CRIMINAL YOU ARE,” reads a caption in the video. 

Ex-township employee on probation for stealing taxpayer $ running against Loteckie

It’s unknown at this writing whether Loteckie himself receives any financial backing from the IBEW; future campaign-finance reports will tell — assuming he doesn’t emulate Boraski and he actually files them. Meanwhile, he has a competitor for township supervisor who makes the race even less conventional: Jason Lawson.  

Yes, the former Falls public-works director Jason Lawson who’s in a probationary program compelling him to repay most of $9,214 in misappropriated municipal funds. The personal expenses he paid with a township credit card reportedly included purchases at Home Depot and a Middletown car dealership. County authorities noted the items were utile in home renovation, something they said Lawson did professionally on the side. 

Last October, the Board of Supervisors fired him from his six-figure job by a three-to-zero vote. Boraski and Dence were both absent. Lawson professed a fondness for them, calling them “great guys” who stood by him. 

Asked why they praised Loteckie’s run for Boraski’s seat, Lawson surmised that was “probably because they didn’t know I was running until the end.” He also observed that the Falls Township Democrats endorsed Loteckie, guessing that weighed on the supervisors’ decisions, though the party’s endorsement came out a month after Dence and Boraski clicked “Like.” 

The former public-works head said he took the probation deal once he could no longer afford legal counsel. He insisted his agreement to probation and restitution doesn’t amount to admitting guilt.

“There were people [in Falls] that, when I got there, made false claims about me,” he averred. 

If elected, he wants to reduce municipal overspending, though he did not offer specifics. 

“It’s going to have to be reduced somewhere,” he said.

Metzger and Graves seek Republican nod

Lawson wasn’t the only aspiring supervisor to deplore the state of the township’s fiscal state. Republican registered tax preparer Jennifer Metzger underscored the community’s ongoing concern about upcoming eight-figure yearly revenue shortfalls due to host fees drying up when the local landfill closes in 2034. 

“There are a lot of concerns about the taxes, the accounting, and the environment,” she said. “We want to really make sure we have a plan for what we’re going to do when we don’t have the landfill.”

Metzger sees Lawson as the last person Falls residents should entrust to solve the township’s problems, citing his probation for taking taxpayer money. 

“We all make mistakes but these were over a line over many years,” she said, regretting the “very, very light sentence” he received. “He’s in a trusted position and he betrayed that trust.”

Metzger didn’t impugn Loteckie’s character, but she objected to his desire for a board seat, viewing his relationship with Boraski and Dence as too “cozy.” She hopes both of those men get out of public office forthwith, lamenting their failure to report much of the campaign money IBEW records said they accepted over the years. 

“Is it a ‘jailable’ offense? Probably not,” she opined. “But there are going to be fines, there are going to be issues. At the very least, they’re going to have to step down and not run again.”

Metzger frequently addresses municipal and Pennsbury School District meetings during public-comment periods. She said Pennsbury, even more than Falls Township, often shows scant regard for transparency and public input. During her phone interview with The Independence, something occurred that she said reinforced her point.

The call was interrupted when she said police officers arrived at her door, responding to an allegation that her husband “startled” a woman working security detail at a recent Pennsbury meeting. By Metzger’s account, the officers did not indicate the woman herself called the police but that a school official contacted them. Pennsbury’s communications office did not return a phone message requesting comment. Metzger’s husband incurred no charges over the matter.

That wasn’t the first time the couple has undergone what they consider an undue hassle for criticizing school policy. The district’s solicitor wrote her a letter regarding a February 6 Facilities Committee meeting during which, the district alleged, she “yelled out” disruptively, impelling the committee to recess. 

She disputed school attorney Erin Aronson’s retelling, saying she merely asked about the specific time a third party could rent a school sports field, an issue with implications for lighting and noise affecting nearby residents. Iron-handed reactions, she recalled, happen frequently in Pennsbury when someone speaks out about high real-estate taxes, municipal issues, or school administration. 

“I do absolutely feel targeted,” she said. “I feel somebody has to stand for the people in this community.” 

By the time of the interview with Metzger, she had not heard whether the Falls Township GOP issued an endorsement for the May 20 primary. The Bucks County Republican Committee did not immediately return an inquiry about whether that happened.

Metzger faces clinical researcher Joan Graves in the upcoming primary. Graves has been the GOP nominee for the three previous township supervisor races, losing to Democrats Erin Mullen and John Galloway in 2023, coming up short against Dence and his running mate John Palmer two years before that, and losing to Boraski in 2019. She believes she could best a Democrat this year, though, citing Republicans’ impressive 2024 presidential and congressional showings.

“Based on the most recent political accomplishments, most predominantly the successful elections in Washington and across the country this past fall, I believe that people are poised to want change and will vote accordingly,” she said, touting personal character as an issue that should bolster Falls Republicans. “Honesty and integrity should be paramount when serving in the capacity of a local municipal official.”

Like Metzger, she rebuked current township officials for their approach to the scheduled landfill closure and the potential resulting fiscal crisis. She said the solution must be a broader business tax base that she believes could have prevented the township’s enactment of an earned income tax two years ago.

“Other means of income generation should have been researched instead of imposing another tax,” she said. “Alternative energy businesses should have been researched instead of burdening taxpayers and taking more of their disposable income.” 

Graves was more reserved than Metzger about Lawson’s campaign or his record as public-works director, stating she only knew what has been reported about him in the local press. She was quicker to castigate Boraski and Dence.

“The fact that the lack of reporting campaign finances has occurred for an extended period of time shows a lack of respect for the system as well as the positions held,” she said.

Metzger and Graves have spared each other any public reproofs so far.

“I applaud her for having the courage to step up and take on the challenges of the candidacy,” Graves said of her opponent.

Metzger was equally magnanimous. 

“Her experiences are always welcome,” she said of her fellow longtime Falls resident. “We can always use all of the help possible for great ideas and making sure things work here.” 

Bradley Vasoli is the senior editor of The Independence.