Solicitor Peter Amuso addresses resident Shannon Harris on Thursday, Sept. 18 (Credit: Vimeo screenshot)
Central Bucks School District’s board voted Thursday night to appoint Clarke Gallagher Barbiero Amuso & Glassman Law as its new general solicitor, following months of debate and turnover in the district’s legal representation.
The decision came after public objections from a resident who cited Sunshine Act concerns and referenced the firm’s prior involvement in a high-profile Pennsbury School District lawsuit.
Resident challenges agenda and firm’s history
During public comment, district parent Shannon Harris argued that the board’s agenda may have violated state transparency law. She pointed to the placement of “Appointment of Clarke Gallagher Barbiero Amuso & Glassman Law as General Solicitor” as item four, before “Approval of School Board Meeting Minutes: August 21, 2025” as item five.
“According to what I have just researched, you cannot do any new business before the approval of minutes,” Harris said. “So that means you cannot do number four before number five. And as you may be violating the Sunshine Act, I am just raising a question, and you need to figure that out before you make any more mistakes, considering you just got out of litigation with your previous Sunshine Act violation.”
Resident Shannon Harris (Credit: Screenshot from Vimeo video)Harris also objected to the choice of solicitor, noting that the firm previously represented Pennsbury School District when it faced a First Amendment lawsuit over its public comment policy. She described the case as a conviction and questioned why Central Bucks would “put the jeopardy of the school district at risk by hiring the same law firm who could potentially make horrible decisions again, like violating the Constitution.”
In addition, Harris raised concerns over what she described as a conflict of interest, claiming that Democratic Party connections to the firm undermined its independence.
Amuso responds to objections
Peter Amuso, a partner at the firm and the district’s newly appointed solicitor, addressed Harris’s comments directly.
“There’s no problem under the Sunshine Act,” Amuso said. “You’ve properly posted this agenda. The order in which you vote on items is not important. The important thing is that you let the public know what you’re going to do, and you allow them to make public comment before you do it.”
Amuso also rejected claims of a conviction in the Pennsbury case, explaining that the matter was a civil lawsuit.
“When we were solicitors of the Pennsbury School District, several individuals sued everybody at the district — the board members, ourselves — about how the district was conducting its public comment policy,” Amuso said. “It was a civil suit. A judge issued an injunction that prevented the school district from enforcing its public comment policy. We were able to draft a public comment policy that the judge then approved. The insurance company settled the case. So, there was certainly no conviction of anybody.”
Court filings confirm that Pennsbury settled the case after a federal judge issued an injunction blocking its restrictive public comment rules, which free speech advocates argued infringed on residents’ First Amendment rights.
Divided vote
The solicitor appointment passed on a split vote, with six board members in favor — Dana Foley, Daniel Kimicata, James Pepper, Heather Reynolds, Karen Smith, and President Susan Gibson — and three opposed: Rob Dugger, Rick Haring, and Jenine Zdanowicz. The motion to appoint was made by Haring and seconded by Gibson.
The vote follows a series of solicitor changes in Central Bucks over the past year. In July, the board appointed Amuso on an interim basis after parting ways with previous solicitor Ed Diasio of Wisler Pearlstine. Diasio replaced David Conn in November 2024. District officials have not publicly explained the reasons for the shifts.
Broader context
Thursday’s debate echoed long-standing tensions in Central Bucks over legal representation and transparency. At the July special meeting, Harris had also accused the board of rushing solicitor appointments and failing to adequately notify the public, charges the district disputed.
At that time, Gibson previously said that solicitor matters carry attorney-client privilege and cannot always be publicly discussed. Pepper, an attorney, had said he recused himself from aspects of earlier votes because of potential legal implications.
With the new appointment finalized, Clarke Gallagher Barbiero Amuso & Glassman Law will serve as Central Bucks’ general solicitor moving forward, advising the district on contracts, personnel, and litigation.
