Montgomery County D.A. eyes commissioners' breakfast chats

Montgomery County prosecutors will look into whether the state's open-meetings law was broken when two county commissioners talked business over breakfast.

District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman confirmed the criminal investigation yesterday, two days after the controversy over the meals at an East Norriton diner between commissioners James Matthews and Joe Hoeffel was first reported.

"While it is generally not our practice to announce investigations, the level of public awareness about these allegations . . . has reached the point that we felt it necessary to confirm the existence of the investigation," Ferman said in a statement. "We will follow the evidence wherever it leads."

The investigation was launched after the Times Herald, of Norristown, published accounts of the regular meetings at the Jem Restaurant. A reporter sitting nearby overheard conversations regarding county business between the commissioners on separate occasions in October and November.

The paper reported that Matthews and Hoeffel discussed business with two other county officials, Solicitor Barry Miller and Jim Maza, the county's deputy chief operating officer.

The lawmakers, Matthews a Republican and Hoeffel a Democrat, have a power-sharing agreement in place to block out the third commissioner, former Republican D.A. Bruce Castor.

Hoeffel said yesterday he was confident that the investigation would show there was no wrongdoing over bacon and coffee.

"I'm confident that there's been no violation of the Sunshine Act at these breakfasts because we did not take action or reach a decision on any county business and we didn't deliberate for the purpose of reaching a decision as the Sunshine Act requires to be done in public," Hoeffel said.

Castor, who was not invited to the breakfast club, was skeptical.

"It doesn't surprise me with these guys," Castor said. "It appeared as though every important decision was made before it was brought up in public.

"I always wondered why I was the only one at work and then everyone would show up at the same time."

Matthews couldn't be reached for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.