Whitehall Township Board of Ethics on Monday disclosed former township Commissioner Gerard “Jerry” Palagonia violated the township’s code of ethics by disclosing confidential personal information regarding a police incident to a local daily newspaper during his run for mayor in the spring of 2015.

Clarence Kistler, ethics board chairman, reported to commissioners the board’s findings after holding hearings arising from a complaint filed by township police Officer Leah Van Note June 30, 2015, nearly a year ago.

Taking notice Palagonia resigned in April as commissioner, Kistler said, “The board would like to state that if Mr. Palagonia had not resigned from the board of commissioners during the course of the investigation, it would have been our recommendation that he resign based on his violation of the code of ethics.

“As he has resigned, it is our recommendation that Mr. Palagonia not take any future position in Whitehall Township, paid or unpaid,” Kistler continued in the report he read to commissioners.

Without comment, commissioners accepted the board of ethics’ findings.

Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr. was the target of Palagonia’s attack when Van Note responded to an alarm at the municipal building where the mayor was cleaning the basement floor of the Emergency Management Services with a vacuum cleaner. Asbestos then became airborne, setting off the alarm.

Palagonia made the issue of Hozza’s cleaning effort a central theme in his campaign. Van Note found she was included in the newspaper’s story regarding her response to the alarm and that confidential workers compensation paperwork had been leaked to the newspaper.

There also was an election mailer by Palagonia’s campaign committee that made assertions regarding the incident.

Palagonia, a retired township police officer, was a township commissioner for 14 years, but after his election loss, he began missing commissioners meetings.

Represented by Attorney Richard Orloski, Palagonia failed to show up at hearings by the ethics panel on two occasions. Van Note, however, was present.

On May 25, the ethics board unanimously held Palagonia “violated the Whitehall Township Code of Ethics in the manner described in Ms. Van Note’s complaint.”

Palagonia was contacted by The Press regarding the ethics board’s decision. At press time, he had not commented on the report.