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Luzerne County Councilman Stephen J. Urban publicly asked the county law office to look into a county employee’s use of a K-9 dog as a “prop” in a magisterial election campaign.
He didn’t name the worker, but several council and audience members immediately said during Tuesday’s council meeting it was obvious he was referring to Spike, a Labrador Retriever trained in electronic detection.
County Detective Charles “Chaz” Balogh is Spike’s handler and has included the dog in a campaign billboard and signs.
Balogh said Wednesday he is extremely close to Spike and included him in campaign material as his pet and best friend. He also said the campaign signs did not identify Spike by name or show him outfitted in a K-9 vest.
The only thing visible on Spike in the ads is a collar he wears all the time containing a tracker, Balogh said. This green device is “like a Fitbit for a dog,” pinpointing his location and monitoring sleep, activity and other health benchmarks, Balogh said. He said he purchased the device and pays the monthly subscription.
“I don’t believe I did anything unethical. I feel I didn’t do anything wrong with having a photo with my dog, who lives at my house and stays with me and is really a part of everything I do,” Balogh said.
But Urban said during Tuesday’s council meeting he believes the dog is county property and argued the county Accountability,...
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