North York borough council VP resigns

Another official has stepped down from North York Borough Council.

Vice President Gary Braham submitted a letter of resignation to the council in February that was approved in a narrow 3-2 vote during Tuesday night's meeting. Council members Vivian Amspacher and Joel Collier opposed the resignation.

"No threats and no regrets," Braham's letter reads. "I am who I am, I hope there is no hard feelings."

Attached to Braham's letter of resignation was a photo of him catching a large fish. He served on the council for six years, according to council President Seth Hightman.

In Braham's place, the council voted to appoint Collier as vice president.

This isn't the first time in recent years a council member has resigned from their post.

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In May 2022, council members Tina Strine and Deb Smith resigned. They were followed a few months later by former council President Rick Shank.

In recent years, North York has been mired in a slew of controversies.

Last February, tax collector Keith Ramsay resigned following an array of criminal charges and allegations of sexual harassment after a council member filed a civil protection from abuse order against him in late 2021.

In November, Ramsay pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors — simple assault and tampering with evidence in one case, and harassment in the other. He avoided prison time as part of the agreement but will serve three years on probation.

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In 2020, former fire chief Stephen Miller was charged with embezzling more than $16,000 from the now-disbanded Liberty Fire Co. between 2015 and 2019.

In January, Miller pleaded guilty to one theft charge and avoided trial. Three felony theft charges — alleging unlawful taking of property, failing to make required disposition of funds and receiving stolen property — were dismissed as part of the plea agreement, court documents show.

York County Court of Common Pleas Judge Harry Ness sentenced Miller to five years of non-reporting probation and imposed restitution requirements, the documents show. The restitution amount was $16,350 to be paid to North York, York County Clerk Dan Byrnes said.