Officials will not hold special election for DeWeese seat
House Speaker Rep. Sam Smith announced Friday that officials will not conduct a special election for the seat left vacant by Rep. Bill DeWeese of Waynesburg, who resigned hours before he was sentenced in a felony corruption conviction.
Smith, R-Punxsutawney, said he spoke with county leaders in southwestern Pennsylvania and “concluded that a special election is not warranted at this time” for the 50th District seat that includes all of Greene County and portions of Fayette and Washington counties. Under the House rules, according to parliamentarian Clancy Myer, if a vacancy occurs with more than seven months left in a term, the Speaker of the House has 10 days to call for a special election.
“Keeping in mind that the main legislation of the year, enacting a state budget, would be complete before an election could even be held, that the earliest date for an election is sometime in July with a possible August swearing in and the reality of only three months left in filling the vacancy, holding an election does not seem the most efficient use of tax dollars,” Smith said.
DeWeese, 62, who had served in the House since winning a special election in 1976, was convicted in February for using public resources for campaigns. He received a prison term of 2 1/2 to 5 years and was ordered to pay $25,000 in fines and nearly $117,000 in restitution.
However, DeWeese was nominated by voters in Greene, Fayette and Washington counties last month during the primary election and his name will remain on the November ballot.
Under the state Constitution, a lawmaker cannot serve once convicted of a crime that is deemed infamous, a designation previously given to a felony. While DeWeese is slated to report to prison May 14, his attorney is seeking to keep him free on bond pending appeals that he hopes will clear him by January when the new House is sworn in.
Greene County Commissioner chairman Pam Snyder said she spoke with Smith on Thursday. She said she and Greene County colleagues Commissioners Chuck Morris and Archie Trader, are in full support of Smith’s decision to forgo a special election at this time.
“After looking at the whole picture, we all absolutely agree with the Speaker’s decision to not hold a special election,” Snyder said. “A representative would not be able to be seated before the budget process. Had we been able to call for a special election prior to the budget process, it would have been worth taxpayers’ money. Seeing that’s not the case here, we support the decision.”
Fayette County Commissioner Vincent Zapotosky said he had not spoken with Smith regarding the special election, but respects the Speaker’s decision. He said the entire matter is complicated in that DeWeese continues to have a dedicated following, but that it is not uncommon for the House to have a seat vacated for a year.
“He has a strong base despite what has transpired,” he said. “I have a great concern for the people of the 50th District, but those same people had nominated Representative DeWeese. Even if the Speaker did decide to do a special election, it would only be to fill the position to term.”
Snyder said she couldn’t comment about whether it would have been better for the district’s residents had DeWeese resigned in February prior to the primary election. However, she said the county could not financially support what she would expect to be a “full-blown election” had Smith chosen to fill the seat.
“We just came off the heels of an election,” she said. “There are too many unknowns here. No one knows what is yet to happen with this seat. DeWeese is still on the ballot this fall. If he does stay on the ballot, there is a chance he could win. If that happens, then you would be looking at the possibility of Greene County having to pay for two special elections, and that is just crazy.”