Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew Under Fire for Failing to Deliver Promised Drug Court Donations

Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew, a Republican who campaigned on donating 60 percent of his salary to support the county’s drug court, is once again facing criticism after failing to make a donation he personally pledged three months ago. Chew promised in September to cover the cost of weekend drug testing after the county lost a state grant, but county officials confirmed there is no record he contributed anything.

The program, which costs about $750 a week, has instead been kept afloat entirely by others. Commissioner Sean Kertes, Treasurer Jared Squires, and attorney Scott Avolio stepped in with their own money, collectively donating thousands of dollars to keep drug court running through the end of the year. Squires’ office, which tracks all county revenue, confirmed that Chew donated nothing to the program or any other county initiative.

Chew first ran for office in 2019 on the high-profile promise that he would give away 60 percent of his commissioner salary — more than $48,000 a year — to drug court. After taking office, he repeatedly deflected questions about whether he ever made those donations. This year, when confronted with the fact that drug court still had not received any money from him, he claimed the program “didn’t need cash” and said he had given money to unrelated charities without providing any amounts.

Chew’s excuse for not fulfilling his September pledge changed again this week. When asked why he still hadn’t covered the cost of weekend testing as promised, he claimed he didn’t know the program needed money, despite having sent an email pledging to pay for it until new funding was found. He then told reporters he was “seeking” a $5,000 grant, though he did not address why he failed to deliver the donations he publicly promised himself.

Meanwhile, the program continues to rely entirely on the private donations of Chew’s colleagues, even as the commissioner’s salary increases next year. Chew earned $81,027 in 2020 and 2021, meaning his original pledge to donate 60 percent now totals more than $97,000 — none of which drug court has received.

With drug court depending on outside donors to stay operational and Chew sidestepping questions about his broken commitments, residents and county officials are left waiting to see whether the Republican commissioner will ever honor the promises he used to help win his election.