Guest Column by Tim Potts
This month marks the five-year anniversary of the series of scandals that has made PA’s General Assembly the most criminally prosecuted legislature in America during those five years.
Last week, Rep. Bill DeWeese, Greene, became the first sitting lawmaker to be convicted. Also last week, former Rep. Brett Feese, Lycoming, was sentenced to 4 to 12 years in jail for his part in the Computer Scandal, uncovered as prosecutors investigated the Bonus Scandal. So far, 21 lawmakers and staff have been convicted of a variety of crimes involving the theft of taxpayer money for personal and partisan political purposes.
The response by lawmakers has been virtually nothing. The overwhelming majority of lawmakers and their leaders are content to remain pro-choice on corruption.
Here’s a brief history of the scandals as compiled by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Bonusgate: How the statewide public corruption case unfolded, Feb. 12. Here’s a list of the scandal defendants and their disposition, also from the Post-Gazette. And here’s an AP story: Lessons of PA corruption probe may be short-lived, Centre Daily Times, Feb. 12.
But wait! There’s more!
Former Rep. Mike Veon, Beaver, already in jail for previous convictions, begins trial today on another set of charges that he illegally used taxpayer funds to benefit himself personally and politically. In prison for bonus scandal, former House whip Veon faces new trial, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Feb. 13.
Still pending are trials of former Rep. Steve Stetler, York, also a Bonus Scandal defendant, and Sen. Jane Orie, Allegheny, and her sister Janine Orie, who also are accused of using taxpayer money for personal and political gain.
As if that weren’t enough, PA Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin is a target of an investigation by an Allegheny County grand jury. Former Sen. Raphael Musto, Luzerne, was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2010: Grand jury indicts Sen. Raphael Musto for allegedly accepting kickbacks, Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, Nov. 23, 2010. Former Sen. Bob Mellow, Lackawanna, is under federal investigation for allegedly violating several federal laws: Mellow spends big on lawyers, Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, Feb. 10, 2012.
We repeat: The response by lawmakers has been virtually nothing. The overwhelming majority of lawmakers and their leaders are content to remain pro-choice on corruption.
PA voters know what to do as documented in DR’s 2012 Public Integrity Poll. So does the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader in this editorial: State convention our best hope, Feb. 12, the latest among virtually every newspaper in PA.
Returning to DeWeese, his sentencing is scheduled for April 24. Ironically, that’s primary election day, and DeWeese will be on the ballot.
Whether April 24 will actually be primary election day is yet another question. The Legislative Reapportionment Commission (LRC) still has the option to re-draw the legislative map for this year after the PA Supreme Court ruled their proposed plan is unconstitutional.
However, if the LRC does re-draw the map for this year, it will require the legislature to push primary election day back, perhaps into June or July, unless it wants to hold the Congressional primary on April 24 and a second primary for the General Assembly later. The estimated cost of the extra primary is $20 million to $25 million.
Under any circumstances, the LRC will have to adopt a new plan to be used in the 2014 elections.
Did we mention that 72% of PA voters want to change how legislative districts are drawn, while only 15% oppose a change?
The General Assembly’s strategy of deny (“Problems? What problems?”), delay (“We’ll deal with them soon.”), and distract (“But first we have to deal with this other huge problem over here.”) is working like a charm.
Get ready for a major push to get the referendum for a Constitution convention on the ballot in November.
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