According to Councilmembers Jason Banonis and Tom Carocci, a formal complaint has been filed asking the Disciplinary Board of the Pennsylvania Bar Association to investigate the conduct of Township interim solicitor Steven Goudsouzian.
Note: this article has been updated to include a portion of the recorded meeting. The first half of the video is Councilmember Banonis building the justification for filing the complaint, which occurs at approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds into the video.
The filing of the formal complaint comes on the heels of apparent illegal action taken by interim Solicitor Goudsouzian related to an executive session meeting that took place on April 3, 2024. You can read more about the action taken without the approval of Lower Saucon Council by clicking here.
The submission to the oversight organization points to “recent conduct of Mr. Goudsouzian” having raised significant concerns, in Banonis and Carocci’s opinion, related to official actions taken on behalf of Lower Saucon Township. One such concern from the formal request for investigation relates to an April 3, 2024, executive session held by Lower Saucon Council.
During that executive session, the request alleges that Goudsouzian informed Council that, “[Goudsouzian] had met with Hellertown to discuss resolution of a public library dispute and a shared compost center dispute between the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon.”
But upon asking for clarification about who was met with and what was discussed, facts that would be relevant to share with all council members, the complaint alleges that “Mr. Goudsouzian willfully refused to identify the participants” of these meetings, quoted as saying that “he did not care” that concealing that information might violate the professional rules of conduct for attorneys, when confronted by Banonis and Carocci.
The formal request for a disciplinary investigation continues by listing out more than twenty items of the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct, which Councilmembers Banonis and Carocci believe were violated by the actions of solicitor Goudsouzian.
Several of these rules discuss items related to “complying with requests for information”, conflicts of interest related to previous clients served, and making false statements, among other things.
Banonis and Carocci’s complaint asks for a thorough investigation into Mr. Goudsouzian’s conduct, “given the gravity of these issues.” The request continues, “it is crucial to determine whether his actions reflect broader issues that could affect the fair administration of municipal law in Lower Saucon Township.”
Despite the ongoing questions about impropriety and conflicts of interest, Council authorized solicitor Goudsouzian to continue to pursue the direction, outlined by council, regarding several ongoing matters, by a 3-2 vote, with Banonis and Carocci voting no – who argue that Council never properly authorized any of these actions in the first place.
You can view the recorded meeting by clicking here. The next scheduled Lower Saucon Council Meeting is on May 15, 2024, beginning at 6:30PM.