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Ellis Exits Montco GOP Chair Race Following Harassment and Abuse Allegations

Tom Ellis, who was running to be chairman of the Montco GOP, exited the race after City & State asked him about abuse and sexual harassment allegations against him in the past.

According to City & State Ellis dropped out of the race following a request for comment from the organization about abuse allegations from his ex-fiancée and sexual harassment claims by a former employee while he was the county treasurer.  

From City & State:

In 2010, county employee Marina Bradley filed a formal human resources complaint, stating that Ellis had repeatedly harassed her through phone calls and emails. The pair had dated, but Bradley said that Ellis, who was Montgomery County treasurer at the time, had threatened her job with the county government once their relationship ended.

“At the end of my relationship with Mr. Ellis, his behavior became extremely possessive and erratic,” Bradley said in a statement at the time. “My job was repeatedly threatened by him and I took steps to block harassing phone calls and emails from him.”

Ellis was later censured for violating an agreement prohibiting him from visiting Bradley’s workplace at an office building outside the county courthouse. Then-Democratic Commissioner Joe Hoeffel demanded Ellis’ resignation over the incident. Ellis refused, stating that “the matter has been closed amicably.”

It wasn’t his first brush with the type of incident that has taken on new urgency and relevance in the #MeToo era. In 2004, Ellis’ ex-fiancée, Lisa Ann Whalen, stated that the attorney had subjected her to a campaign of physical and emotional abuse, at one point threatening her with a golf club at a miniature golf course. “Do you know what I want to do with this?” Ellis reportedly asked her.

In a separate incident, she stated that Ellis had backed over her with his vehicle in an attempt to regain custody of their then-10-month-old child.

Ellis similarly stated that the matter was resolved privately.

“This is a personal and private custody issue and I ask that people keep (Whalen) and I in their prayers,” he said in an interview at the time.

However, years later, he delivered a public apology to Whalen at a commissioners meeting.

Ellis was running against lawyer Elizabeth Havey, the daughter of former state Attorney General Ernie Preate, Jr. for chair of the party.  

In a letter obtained my City & State, Ellis said that the put the blame on the allegations on those who are running against him for chair, and put his support behind 2016 Republican National Convention delegate Lauren Casper for chair.

“Those aligned against me and my candidacy will not stop in their efforts to damage my candidacy. I only wanted to restore the party to its glory days…Casper, a new face with new ideas and new energy, is the right person at the right time for this task,” Ellis wrote.

25 Responses

  1. Tom admits most of the abuse allegations against him. He says he apologized and has been redeemed. Apparently the MCRC is not as forgiving as he had hoped.

    Tom is a well known commodity in Montco. He has at least two domestic complaint issues and a reputation for lacking anger management skills. It is appropriate that he has been excluded from office. He has only himself to blame for the current kerfuffle. In his arrogance and hubris he thought people forgot his sins. They did not. He should go back to Duane Morris and quietly live off of the government business sent him by his friends in Montco. His current bid for office has embarrassed himself and the MCRC.

    Electing someone with Tom’s history will further alienate women voters. And that is assuming there are no further antics from Tom. We simply cannot afford to recycle yesterday’s rejects.

    Liz is a woman and is a talented and a strong leader. She is the right person to bring us back to prominence and attract women back to the Party. The responsible thing for Tom to do is support her.

    1. I think Brian Miles should be chair. Jim you will still have your job. The only problem is when Brian is chair and you work for him, one of you will have to stay home on your next trip to Disney. And I know that will break both of your hearts. But Brian ran successful campaigns and should get a shot. Forget he lost his township and the DA’s race and he lost that race to Liz who was actively working for the Dem. so now I am confusing myself. Jim get your self a life preserver and Miles a life raft so when this ship finally goes way under you both will be on top and be able to blame everyone but yourself. But Jim even you lost your township race. I almost forgot. By hey nice post you have above.

  2. Havey and the party brass, who were all on the morally challenged Trump Train and are now backing similarly anger management & PFA-challenged Scott Wagner, suddenly have found their moral compasses and have issues with Ellis? Havey left Lower Merion a wasteland and she’ll put the final nail in the MCRC coffin. Ellis at least had a plan and the means to accomplish it.

  3. Liz and I walked the beach together at the convention. But I never had sexual relations with that woman.

    1. Liz and Andy Reilly will have a lot more time together to discuss things.

  4. Liz Havey will do for MCRC what she is doing for Lower Merion—a continued losing streak for Commissioner (12 Dems, 2 Reps) and School Board (all Dems). So, why not elect her? She is a disaster. And congenital liar. Even her own local committee can’t stand her. As for MCRC, even Donnelly quit. She will fit right in with the circular firing squad.

    1. Spot on. Liz is a total failure. Why wouldn’t Rs want to make MCRC like LM?! Gah Ahaha!

  5. NOTE MY COMMENTS ON THE ORIGINAL CITY/STATE WEB-SITE, BASED UPON HAVING MONITORED THESE EVENTS FOR A WEEK [AND HAVING CHATTED WITH A FEW “INSIDERS” FOR CONTEXT]; the MCRC needs all the help it can muster, and Liz is the ideal person to pull-together all disparate factions thereof.

    1. So says the political gadfly and useful idiot who filed the petition challenge against Joe Gale for LT Gov. Liz Havey is Jeff Bartos’ campaign chair. It’s not hard to connect the dots.

      1. First, the petition was both indicated and successful; second, there are no dots-to-connect because this initiative wasn’t coordinated with Liz or Jeff.

        THEREFORE, this and many of the subsequent postings are manifestations of the type of backstabbing bitterness that the MCRC must continue to expunge from its leadership.

  6. The MCRC establishment, from the previous chairs to present, are the biggest problem with the organization. Petty fights and lack of effort have done this organization in. I’ve served on the committee for years and I could not be more disappointed.

    Ellis was the only candidate in the race talking about bringing the party back to the greatness of the 1980s and 1990s. The road to victory previously ran through MCRC. Most recently, MCRC worked against an endorsed candidate for county commissioner, has had unreliable people working in the office for years and can barely fill a room at their fundraisers. No wonder people don’t want to be involved anymore.

    Time for a change. Rid the organization with the entrenched and bring in some devoted youths to rebuild.

    1. Yea but a party infrastructure can only do so much. The national party brand has been trash lately so that is hard to fight against. Staff is only as good as the chair and the chair is only as good as the staff.

      1. A bit of clarity is in-order.

        First, MCRC didn’t work against Joe Gale; rather, he ran a bullet-ballot initiative without pretending to coordinate as a team with the MCRC.

        Second, the national party brand has staged a comeback under The Donald and Liz knows how to assemble a quality team of do-ers and $-raisers.

        THEREFORE, as per a prior comment, it would be desirable if nay-sayers were to absent themselves from her initiatives, for dead-wood must be exfoliated ASAP…as saplings are nurtured.

  7. So all of a sudden, the Ellis allegations are appalling to MCRC? Yet, the weren’t appalling when he was bank-rolling the party and most of the GOP candidates?

    President Trump warned us about this. We must drain the swamp. #Write-inEllis #ImWithHim #InnocentUntilProvenGuilty

    1. How many DUI’s/Public Drunkenness’s have you had? Clearly those legal issues and your alignment with this candidate for chair, your morals are compromised. You know, just like POTUS is with Putin.

      1. 1. Celibacy is stupid

        2. Why do you care about my past?

        3. I was framed, I was golfing with Tom Ellis when I was accused of those DUIs

    2. Trump is the swamp. Or are self-dealing, nepotism, and corruption okay if they are done by Republicans?

  8. Bruce “there’s not enough evidence to convict Bill Cosby” Castor for DA? Truly hilarious.

    1. He is the only one who can defeat Steel and lead the takeback of the Courthouse!

      1. November 3, 2015 MUNICIPAL GENERAL ELECTION
        Kevin Steele – 90,051
        Bruce Castor – 72,920

        You should try standup comedy!

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