Rick Geist vs John McGinnis: Geist's leadership in Harrisburg has been a disaster

Last week state House Transportation Committee Chairman Representative Rick Geist (R. 79th district) held a press conference in the Capitol Rotunda to once again sound the alarm for more transportation and infrastructure spending. Geist, surrounded by leaders from the Pennsylvania Chamber, manufacturing, and big labor, (your typical Geist lobby cronies) pressed Governor Corbett and his colleagues in the General Assembly to pass legislation to increase funding for transportation and infrastructure improvements.

Geist has been Chairman of the State House Transportation Committee for the past 16 years, constituting half of his tenure in the General Assembly. Geist holds the distinction of being the longest-serving Majority Chairman of the Transportation Committee in House history (six terms, before Republicans lost the House Majority in 2007). As Republicans have returned to the majority, Geist reclaimed that position and continues to play a leading role in making policy that benefits (questionable) Pennsylvania’s motorists and all modes of its transportation system.

It is not surprising that during Geist's tenure as chairman of the House Transportation Committee Pennsylvania's infrastructure has continued to decline. Our roads and bridges are one of the worst in the country.  Geist's sense of desperation now regarding the lack of transportation funding to fix our aging infrastructure is almost comical. His diatribes on funding for transporation have become almost an annual yearly event in Harrisburg at this point.

Geist always sounds the alarm for more funding, more funding but nothing ever happens.  In fact, Geist never does anything about it. Through all the failed special sessions, the endless proposals regarding "public, private partnerships", and attempts to find "dedicated funding streams" like tolling Interstate 80, Geist's leadership has continued to fall short.

If you pay attention closely to the statements at the press conference, I think Geist and his special interest cronies are admitting failure at this point.

“We have terrible transportation problems,” said Geist, who stressed something needs to be done before the commonwealth experiences a tragedy because of a failed road or bridge.

“Without a reliable, effective and safe transportation infrastructure, Pennsylvania will falter,” added Sean Good, a lobbyist for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, during the news conference.

Seriously guys?

The truth is, Geist's leadership as transportation Chairman has been a complete failure for Pennsylvanians who desperately want the satisfaction of driving their families over safe roads and bridge. Geist has only himself to blame and it is his lack of leadership on this issue that has gotten us into this mess. Over the past two decades legislative leaders like Geist seemed far more interested in fattening their pockets and paying off their lobby buddies than fixing our roads and bridges.

The last serious attempt to increase funding for transportation and infrastructure was legislation passed during the Ridge administration in 1997. This legislation increased the gas tax by 3 1/2 cents. The legislation also increased the cost of vehicle registrations by 50%. In order to get the legislation passed, Geist had to agree to give more funding from the new revenues to public transportation in Philadelphia (SEPTA) and Pittsburgh (The Port Authority) even though state revenue coffers were at a surplus at the time. Geist knew our roads and bridges were in bad shape at the time and this decision to fund public transit with this new revenue has been a disaster.

But despite the funding for public transportation many wonder where did the rest of the money go over Geist's 16 years?

To get the answer you have to think back at all the major legislative initiatives to come out of Harrisburg during Geist's leadership of the House Transportation Committee: you have the pay raise of 1997 that increased legislative salaries and gave them an annual cost of living increase that is tied to the cost of living calculations of Philadelphia.; oh and the massive pension grab of 2001; we can't forget the legalization of gambling for property tax relief; nor Governor Renedell's massive spending increases on education; and the topper has the be the 2005 middle of the night pay raise that the state Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional.

There is no doubt that Geist and his buddies like form Speaker John Perzel had their priorities in the wrong place for the past two decades.

Considering the fact that all these "terrible transportation problems" have occurred under Geist's watch as transportation chairman over the past two decades, any sane person would see the need to fire Rick Geist for the poor job he has done as the transportation leader for Pennsylvania. Geist himself admits failure - why would we even consider retaining him? It isn't logical. A wise man once said at a debate once that Geist never attended, "The true definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result".

It is truly time to dump Rick Geist on April 24th.

For more information on Geist challenger John McGinnis's candidacy and his campaign please visit www.mcginnis2012.com.