DeWeese attempting to block lobbyist from reappointment to board
HARRISBURG – House Minority Leader H. William DeWeese (D-Waynesburg) is attempting to block a lobbyist who recently hired his ex-wife from getting reappointed to a board. After earlier endorsing his reappointment, DeWeese has changed his mind about reappointing Philadelphia lobbyist Stephen Wojdak to the Philadelphia Convention Center board.
“There was a personal issue between the two of them,” DeWeese spokesman Mike Manzo said on Friday. “Bill is no longer interested in having him serve.”
Manzo declined to elaborate, but political observers say it’s pretty obvious what the issue is. Wojdak recently hired DeWeese’s ex-wife, Holly Kinser, after promising he wouldn’t – or so claims DeWeese.
Kinser now works as a senior vice president of S. J. Wojdak & Associates. The hiring last month so upset DeWeese that he fired off a scathing letter that called Wojdak a “mendacious knave.” The letter was leaked to the media.
Despite DeWeese’s ire, Wojdak’s position on the board appears safe for now. DeWeese’s counterpart in the Senate, Senate Minority Leader Robert Mellow (D-Lackawanna) said he will not allow a “family feud” to end Wojdak’s term on the board. Under state law, until the two Democratic leaders can agree on an appointment, Wojdak will remain on the board.
“Steve Wojdak was everybody’s choice until Holly Kinser got a job,” Mellow said. “I think he’s done a pretty good job, and he was the one the Philadelphia [officials] recommended.
“Until there’s an agreement that someone else should serve, Steve Wojdak is still on there. Unless
he decides to resign from the position, he will stay in the position he’s in.”
Wojdak wants to continue serving, said his spokesman Kevin Feeley.
“We don’t agree with the thrust of what [DeWeese] said,” Feeley said. “Steve doesn’t agree that any promises were made not to hire Holly. Holly is a fantastic lobbyist, top flight. From a business perspective, it made sense to hire her, and it still does.”
DeWeese, however, apparently thinks otherwise.
“Mr. Wojdak, I don’t know how you could shave this morning,” he wrote in his letter. “Not only were you untruthful to me, but you lied indirectly to many other people you do business with, day in and day out.”
DeWeese ended his letter by telling Wojdak, “I don’t ever want anything to do with you. You are not welcome in my ambit. Steve Wojdak, the word ‘liar’ will hang around your neck as an albatross, as massive and irremovable as the foothills of the Himalayas.”
Feeley said that Wojdak would like to reconcile with DeWeese, with whom he has been friends for the past 25 years.
“This [situation] is unfortunate from Steve’s perspective. But we’re hoping it can be worked out at some point. …Steve did reach out and tried to call [DeWeese] in the last week of August. And we got a call back from one of his staff members who said Mr. DeWeese would not return our call.”
Manzo wouldn’t say if DeWeese is open to reconciliation.
“That was a personal issue, and he’s not comfortable talking about it publicly,” he said.