Allegheny County Councilman Charles P. McCullough plans to sue two fellow councilmen and threatened to sue any others who join an attempt to censure him, he told council Tuesday in a six-paragraph statement.
Councilman Michael J. Finnerty moved at council's meeting to censure McCullough. Finnerty and Council President Rich Fitzgerald have publicly accused McCullough of lying to council a month ago to get an amendment passed.
The censure would be a simple reprimand but could encourage council members to be more accurate in describing their legislation, Finnerty said.
This will be the fifth court action McCullough, R-Upper St. Clair, has taken in the past 15 months against the county or County Council members on issues ranging from the drink tax to how the county spends casino money. He has yet to file his formal complaint and declined to discuss specifics after the council meeting, calling it a personal matter with the two Democrats.
"Every time he doesn't get what he wants, he looks to ridicule you and bully you into voting his way," Finnerty said. "This is a scare tactic."
McCullough, 54, a lawyer and former county solicitor, has had a tumultuous time since his election as the at-large Republican councilman two years ago. He was arrested, jailed and called a flight risk by a city district judge, and is awaiting trial on charges he stole $200,000 from an elderly and widowed client before his 2007 election.
He intended to resign yesterday until Finnerty added his motion to censure to the meeting agenda, McCullough said. He also had intended to resign in January, he added, saying that he accomplished more than he expected in fighting the county's 10 percent drink tax.
McCullough said he decided to stay to keep his standing as a councilman during court fights against other county elected officials.
"It's unfortunate that I've felt I had to litigate things to get my point across here," McCullough said. "Ever since I've joined this council, I've been belittled."
McCullough is planning to depose Finnerty of Scott, and Fitzgerald of Squirrel Hill, in two weeks. He threatened council in his statement that if it moves forward with the motion to censure, which Fitzgerald put in committee, his push for a court hearing will be "quite divisive and expensive."
McCullough plans to request legal fees to defend himself, saying he deserves them because Finnerty's charges involved his council duties.
McCullough is representing himself in the case at present but said he might hire another lawyer to serve as his primary counsel.
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