Montco school board candidate denounced for racist posts

A Methacton school board candidate is under fire and has lost the Republican endorsement after parents drew attention to what they said were racist and anti-Semitic posts in his name on social media.

Scott Misus, a self-employed financial consultant, is accused of making numerous offensive remarks regarding black people, women, and "the real reason that Jews got their comeuppance after Hitler came to power."

Misus, 52, of Worcester, hung up when called for comment Tuesday, and his Facebook page appears to have been deleted. But many comments in his name are still posted on thefederalistpapers.org and other sites, including many using racial slurs and one linking violent crime to "the homogeneity of the population."

In a statement Tuesday, Montgomery County GOP Chairman Mike Vereb called the posts "repugnant and offensive."

"The postings allegedly made by Mr. Misus have no place in our society, let alone our party," Vereb said. Local party leaders also denounced the posts and urged people not to vote for him.

Shannon Peffer, a parent who said she began researching the school board candidates out of concern over proposed school closures, said school and community forums - Misus also has ties to the Boy Scouts and a youth soccer league - have "blown up" since Misus' posts were made public.

"It terrifies me that he could be making policy and selecting curricula at all. . . . He's extremely radical," she said, adding that the party should have vetted its candidates.

Misus is one of 12 candidates for five at-large seats on the board. Three are incumbents, and one is a Republican incumbent who did not receive her party's endorsement.

The district serves Worcester and Lower Providence Townships in western Montgomery County.

According to a biography on a GOP campaign site, which has since been erased, Misus has two children in the district and volunteered as a soccer coach with the Methacton United Soccer Club. He attended Pennsylvania State University and Fordham University, and for 16 years "has been happily self-employed in wholesale distribution."

The page lists among Misus' skills working with "others with often opposing viewpoints."

Some have called for Misus to withdraw from the race, but with the primary election only two weeks away, it is too late to remove names from the ballot.