Brian Ellis (American politician)
Brian L. Ellis | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 11th district | |
| In office January 4, 2005[1] – March 18, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Guy Travaglio |
| Succeeded by | Marci Mustello |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1969 (age 54–55) Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Monica Ellis (div. 2019) |
| Residence | Butler Township |
| Alma mater | University of Pittsburgh |
Brian L. Ellis (born 1969) is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, who represented the 11th House district in Butler County. He served as Chairman of the House Consumer Affairs Committee until 2019.
Personal
[edit]Born in 1969 in Butler, Pennsylvania,[2] Ellis graduated from Butler Senior High School and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in communications. Prior to his election, he worked for his family's automobile dealership in Western Pennsylvania.
Political career
[edit]Ellis first won a seat in the House in 2004, finishing first in a three-way Republican Party (United States) primary and going on to defeat Democrat Fred Vero with 55.9% of the vote.[3][4]
In 2006, he defeated a challenger in the Republican primary with 78% of the vote and won the general election over Democrat Bill Neel with over 64% of the vote.[5][6]
Ellis was unopposed in the 2008 primary and was opposed in the general election by Democrat Dave Wilson.[7] He was re-elected in the 2010 general election.
Ellis has served as the Pennsylvania State Leader for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).[8]
Accusations and Resignation
[edit]In January 2019, the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office opened a criminal investigation into allegations Ellis had raped a female state employee while she was incapacitated, prompting members of the Pennsylvania state house, including the Republican leadership, to call for his resignation.[9][10] The victim later issued a complaint to the Pennsylvania House Ethics Committee detailing the alleged assault. Ellis, who was married at the time, denied the accusations, but leading Republicans began to call for a full investigation.[11][12] He resigned on March 18, 2019, six days after the complaint was issued.[13]
In August 2019, Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo declined to charge Ellis.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "SESSION OF 2005 - 189TH OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY - No. 1" (PDF). Legislative Journal. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2005-01-04.
- ^ "Brian L. Ellis". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Archived from the original on 2015-05-05. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
- ^ "Pennsylvania 2004 Primary Results". Pennsylvania Secretary of State. Archived from the original on 2008-11-27.
- ^ "Pennsylvania 2004 General Election Results". Pennsylvania Secretary of State. Archived from the original on 2008-11-27.
- ^ "Pennsylvania 2006 Primary Results". Pennsylvania Secretary of State.
- ^ "Pennsylvania 2004 General Election Results". Pennsylvania Secretary of State. Archived from the original on 2008-11-27.
- ^ "Pennsylvania 2008 Primary Results". Pennsylvania Secretary of State.
- ^ "State Chairmen". American Legislative Exchange Council. Archived from the original on 2013-07-05.
- ^ Murphy, Jan (2019-01-25). "Pa. state rep. facing sexual assault investigation by Dauphin County DA's office". pennlive.com. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
- ^ Murphy, Jan (2019-01-25). "House GOP leaders call on Rep. Brian Ellis to resign after sexual assault allegation". pennlive.com. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
- ^ "Pa. House Republicans Call On Butler Co. Lawmaker To Quit Over Sexual Assault Allegations". pittsburgh.cbslocal.com. January 25, 2019.
- ^ Farnoush Amiri (March 19, 2019). "Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Ellis resigns after allegations of sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman". nbcnews.com.
- ^ Navratil, Liz (2019-03-18). "State Rep. Brian Ellis, accused of sexual assault, resigns". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
- ^ "Pa. prosecutor won't charge ex-Rep. Brian Ellis over sex assault claim". triblive.com. 2019-08-26. Retrieved 2019-09-08.