Hold Downe Accountable

Disclaimer: Portions of this article are based on a letter to the editor originally published on CNBNews.net on April 28, 2025, titled "Letter to the Editor: Road Collapse Incident and Political Concerns in Downe Township." The original letter can be accessed here . All credit for the initial reporting and public commentary goes to CNBNews.net and the original author. A 2024 vehicle accident involving the stepson of Downe Township Mayor Mike Rothman has ignited a storm of controversy, as residents demand answers about the use of taxpayer funds, potential conflicts of interest, and a lack of public transparency. On June 21, 2024, Nicholas (Nico) Haines was driving along Maple Avenue in Dividing Creek when the roadway allegedly collapsed beneath his truck. Haines later posted publicly about the incident, stating he suffered major financial losses — including the destruction of his vehicle and business equipment. While Cumberland County ultimately declined to offer him compe...

At its November 8, 2021 meeting, the Downe Township (Cumberland County) Committee adopted Res. R-107-2021 that settled my lawsuit that sought to require the Committee to better comply with the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA). The lawsuit, John Paff v. Downe Township Committee, Docket No. CUM-L-637-21 (PDF here and MS Word here), sought two different types of relief. First, it sought to require the Committee, as required by the OPMA, to specifically describe the topics it discusses in nonpublic (i.e. closed or executive) session. From looking the Committee’s previous nonpublic resolutions and meeting minutes, I found examples of the closed topics being described very generally (e.g. “Matters relating to personnel, possible litigation, land acquisition, and contract negotiations in which the public body may become a party.”) Such vague descriptions do no t give the public any real sense of what the Committee is privately discussing. Second, the OPMA requires all public business to be dis...

Residents of Downe Township have reached a breaking point. A recent audit by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG) has exposed serious financial mismanagement within the township’s handling of FEMA disaster relief funds — raising troubling questions about oversight, leadership, and transparency. According to the OIG report, Downe Township failed to follow required federal procurement procedures when awarding contracts for disaster recovery work. As a result, more than $800,000 in FEMA aid may be ruled ineligible — potentially leaving the township on the hook to repay those funds. Even more concerning, the township was unable to properly account for nearly $500,000 in spending, raising red flags about internal financial controls. These revelations have ignited widespread frustration among residents who say they've waited far too long for relief and results. The audit findings suggest not just administrative oversight, but a deeper failure to p...