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December 15, 2005
Schuylkill officials grilled over illegal workers
Resident asks if county supervises Economic Development Corp.
By Chris Parker
Of The Morning Call

Weeks after authorities said 125 illegal immigrants were working at a Wal-Mart construction site in Schuylkill County, a West Penn Township resident grilled the county commissioners about how closely they supervise an organization that promotes economic development.

William J. Mackey asked the commissioners Wednesday if the Schuylkill Economic Development Corp. is audited annually and, if so, could he review the latest audit.


SEDCO is a private nonprofit organization that encourages companies to locate or expand in the county. The Wal-Mart distribution center construction site in Butler Township is one of the job sites the organization managed.

County solicitor Paul Datte said the organization ''is not a public entity'' and that if the county does get an audit from SEDCO, it would probably share it with the public.

Mackey said the organization gets public money and therefore its records, including salaries, should be made public.

''You can't just hand people the money and then walk away,'' he said.

County Administrator William Reppy said the organization does not get county money. Rather, the county acts as a conduit for state and federal money to flow to the organization, he said.

''Using [county] tax dollars to fund SEDCO just doesn't happen,'' Reppy said.

Mark Scarbinsky, director of the Schuylkill County Economic Development Office, said ''… the amount of funds available to SEDCO through the Local Economic Development Assistance Program for the fiscal year 2005-2006 is $52,295,'' according to the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

Mackey wants the county to require SEDCO to examine payroll records at the job sites it manages.

That, he said, might have curbed the recent illegal immigrant scandal.

''These jobs should be going to local people,'' Mackey said. ''Not people from Texas,'' he said, referring to a Houston company that employed some of the workers alleged to be illegal immigrants.

The workers were discovered Nov. 17 when federal, state and local law enforcement officers raided the Wal-Mart site at High Ridge Industrial Park in Butler.

The workers were from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, according to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Some of them used fake documents to obtain employment, officials said.

Agents got search warrants after learning that 10 workers employed by Houston's Destin Drywall & Paint were using Social Security numbers that didn't match their names. Another three used Social Security numbers that have never been issued by the government, according to an affidavit unsealed at U.S. District Court in Scranton.

Destin has worked on Wal-Mart projects around the country, including five or six currently, according to office manager Cindy Wyman.

In response, the commissioners on Wednesday released a statement that said the ''Board considers this illegal activity an affront to the citizens of Schuylkill County.''

The statement thanked authorities, including Sheriff Frank McAndrew, for their efforts.

''My colleagues and I share the dismay of our fellow county residents over this incident and pledge our efforts to work with federal, state and local authorities in attempting to avoid another debacle of this kind,'' read Commissioner Frank J. Staudenmeier.

chris.parker@mcall.com

610-379-3224