Brian Ellis (American politician)
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.
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 50–51) Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Monica Ellis (Divorced 2019) |
Residence | Butler Township |
Alma mater | University of Pittsburgh |
Personal
Born in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 1969,[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
Ellis first won a seat in the House in 2004, finishing first in a three-way GOP 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 GOP 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]
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 PA House Ethics Committee detailing the alleged assault. Ellis resigned on March 18, 2019, six days after the complaint was issued.[11] In August 2019, Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo declined to charge Ellis. Mr. Ellis was represented in that case by Erik R. Anderson of Post & Schell PC. [12]
References
- "SESSION OF 2005 - 189TH OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY - No. 1" (PDF). Legislative Journal. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2005-01-04.
- "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.
- 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.