Same old
“It is time clean up Harrisburg,” said Gov. Tom Wolf when he first took office in January of 2014, adding that “Pennsylvanians need to trust that their government is doing the right things for the right reasons.”
To his credit upon taking office, Wolf immediately instituted a gift ban for his staff and appointees and signed an executive order banning no bid contracts to private law firms. He also donated his $187,000 salary to charity and refused to drive a state car.
However, Wolf has apparently succumbed to nepotism, one of the long-standing traditions in Harrisburg.
According to the WITF website, four children of current and former Democratic state lawmakers have been hired for jobs in the office of the governor and lieutenant governor. They include:
n Mike Hanna, 33, the son of House Minority Whip Mike Hanna (D-Centre), who was hired as Wolf’s deputy secretary for legislative affairs at a salary of $97,663.
n Catherine Stetler, the daughter of former Rep. Stephen Stetler (D-York), who was hired as the deputy chief of staff to first lady Francis Wolf at a salary of $70,005.
n Alexis Dinniman, 37, the daughter of Sen. Andrew Dinniman, D-Chester, who was hired to work in the Governor’s Office of Public Liason, at a salary of $60,010.
n Anthony Costa, 27, the son of Senate Minority leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, who was hired as a special assistant to Lt. Gov. Mike Stack at a salary of $52,010.
“During the Wolf administration the culture of Harrisburg has not changed,” says government reform activist Eric Epstein. “Real reform means the governor needs to ferret out cronyism and nepotism by banning the employment of relatives, campaign contributors and spouses.”
Of course, Wolf’s spokesman, Jeff Sheridan, disputed the idea that the administration engages in nepotism.
“Who someone’s parent is does not disqualify them from serving in a public job,” he said.
That sounds good, but you have to wonder how the job performance of these four individuals will be affected by their family ties. If one of them does a poor job, will they be fired even if that means risking political repercussions? Or will their name ensure that they’ll be kept on the payroll no matter their job performance?
You also have to wonder if those hired had an unfair advantage over others who applied for those jobs? What about all the qualified candidates who lost out because they didn’t have the right connections? The real losers in those cases are taxpayers who aren’t getting the best bang for their buck.
Some will also say that relatives are hired all the time in the private sector. Well, if someone wants to staff his or her business with all the relatives they can find, that’s up to them. But it’s different in the public sector where taxpayers are footing the bill. No elected official should be feathering his or her own nest at the expense of others.
Unfortunately nepotism isn’t just seen in Harrisburg. It’s seen on every government level in Pennsylvania from Harrisburg to county seats and local municipalities and school boards. Elected officials take an oath to serve the public but all too often they’re more worried about helping their family members and friends.
In fact, it’s happened so much over the years that it’s pretty much accepted as a way of life. Unfortunately it’s become ingrained in our politics and culture. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Other states have done away with such practices through anti-nepotism bills, and it’s time for Pennsylvania to enact such laws.
But until people speak out, nothing will change in Harrisburg or anywhere else in Pennsylvania.