Feb 5, 2016 2 min read

CHARLEROI – At least some Charleroi council members want a forensic examination performed on the computer used by the former borough manager, whose position was eliminated last month.

The move appeared on the agenda for Thursday’s council work session and is expected to be placed for a vote at the regular Feb. 11 council meeting, borough records show.

“I’m not at liberty to discuss this,” said Charleroi Councilman Larry Celaschi, who requested the item involving Donn Henderson appear on the agenda.

“It’s all about what’s best for the taxpayers,” Celaschi said.

Council on Jan. 14 eliminated the position held by Henderson, who worked as borough manager for the past five years and earned $33,000 a year with no benefits.

Henderson quickly accused council of botching his ouster because the borough manager’s position was created under an ordinance and needed to be eliminated through an ordinance.

“I can’t even collect unemployment compensation,” Henderson said Friday.

Henderson said spending $3,000 to examine the computer he used would be a waste of money because nothing that could cause him trouble would be found on its hard drive.

“That’s all a witch hunt,” Henderson said. “There have been no allegations of wrongdoing against me.”

There also are items on next week’s council agenda seeking to fire Henderson retroactively to Jan. 14 and to authorize the borough solicitor to prepare an ordinance eliminating the borough manager position.

Celaschi said there was “no vendetta” behind the decision to fire Henderson.

“We can always come back and recreate a position with a different title,” Celaschi said.

Henderson said he was entitled as a government employee to a hearing before he was fired and that he also was due a written explanation of any charges against him.

“They haven’t done anything right,” he said.