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Party boss profits from sale of GOP headquarters

Tom Ellis

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By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer Updated 10:14 PM Monday, August 31, 2009

FAIRFIELD TWP. — Butler County Republican Party Chairman Tom Ellis profited roughly $25,500 from the sale of the party’s Fairfield Twp. headquarters building in July, according to those involved in the sale.

Ellis, a licensed Middletown-based realtor, received 3.5 percent of the building’s sale for finding the buyer. The same amount went to the listing agent, West Chester Twp.-based Northridge Realty, which Ellis had contracted to handle the sale.

“We did everything 100 percent legal,” said Northridge owner Dick Alderson. “Whether or not Tom Ellis is entitled to a commission, that’s something the party has to sort out.

“Personally, had I been in the position, being executive director of the party, I probably wouldn’t have taken the commission,” said Alderson, a GOP executive committee member. “If the party was aware of his actions, I don’t think there was any impropriety.”

Central Committee Chairwoman Judy Shelton said the issue had her blessing.

“I have no problem with that, because I am thrilled Tom was able to secure a buyer,” she said. “I was ecstatic that we found a buyer in these hard economic times.”

Ellis said he found the buyer, showed the building, negotiated the price up $30,000 from the original offer, processed the sale and got part of the commission “just like any other realtor would have done.”

“The minute we sold it, I was saving the party approximately $4,000 a month (in mortgage) just for having been fortunate enough and able to close the sale in a very difficult real estate market,” he said. “Some people have called (it) absolutely a miracle I was able to sell it like I did and for the amount of money I did.”

“I felt like I earned the commission,” he said.

The building sold on July 6 for $730,000, according to the Butler County Auditor’s Office Web site. The buyer is listed as Terra Investment Group Realty.

The sale came at a loss. The building cost more than $800,000 to build roughly four years ago and has a taxable value of $836,700, according to the auditor’s Web site.

The party decided to sell the building to save money. In a May letter announcing the potential sale in May, Ellis said the party’s “future viability” depended on focusing money on political activities instead of bricks and mortar.

Staff Writer Dave Greber contributed to this report.

Tom Ellis

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