Montgomery County judge-elect Gary Silow has named his wife, Mary, to be his secretary at an annual salary of $52,721, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports this morning.
Silow, whose campaign ads touting his role in the conviction of Collegeville murderer Caleb Fairley filled local mailboxes in October, told the Inquirer that his wife has been his secretary and paralegal for 20 years and called her “extremely competent.”
Because Silow is a state employee, his hiring practices are not subject to Montgomery County’s policy against nepotism. Similarly, federal judges are prevented from hiring relatives as close as their first cousins. Pennsylvania, however, does not prohibit state-employed judges from hiring relatives.
Citing “a grey area of the code,” state Judicial Conduct Board Chief Counsel Joseph Massa recently said that the practice is not uncommon.
More details are available from the Inquirer.
December 11th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Well, my wife is “extremely competent” as well and deserves the same consideration for this tax payer funded job.
Not a very good start for Judge Silow. In the current jobless environment we are suffering through, you would think he’d have better since than to give his wife this high paying government job.
We’ll have to keep and eye on his “performance” starting now.
Since we are now paying both of their salaries, should we also be involved in reviewing her performance as well?
This reeks of arrogance and elitism. I for one, am very tired of that attitude in our elected officials.
December 11th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Sounds like he could be an Upper Providence Township supervisor