DeWeese, Veon may advance posts
HARRISBURG – The two Democratic leaders from southwestern Pennsylvania seem poised to ascend to the top ranking positions in the House should the chamber become Democratic. Despite a series of party defections and what some have called retributions for lack of loyalty, House Democratic Leader H. William DeWeese (D-Waynesburg) and Whip Michael Veon of Beaver County will likely see an approving nod from a new Democratic majority to the Speaker and majority leader posts, according to supporters and detractors within the House Democrats.
The Democrats said they foresee no serious rivals emerging from the caucus to topple DeWeese and Veon’s eight-year duo of power.
“People say a lot of things but when it comes time, in the past, the votes were not there,” said Luzerne County Rep. Thomas Tigue, who unsuccessfully tried to oust DeWeese a decade ago.
Support for the leaders comes even after the two led their members last year down the path to a controversial pay raise and then demoted the 15 members who voted ‘no’ out of higher paid committee positions. Both were the only remaining votes against the repeal of the pay raise (although DeWeese voted in favor the second time).
“In any caucus you’re going to have people upset with things,” said Bucks County Rep. Tony Melio, a Democrat who was ousted as transportation subcommittee chair after he voted against the pay raise. “But whether they have the support to take on DeWeese is another question.”
Melio added that he would be a supporter.
“If I need help, he’s there. I’m not a good fund-raiser and if I had a campaign that was really struggling, I’m sure he would help me,” he said.
It’s their control of legislative purse strings, including the doling out of a $13 million leadership fund each year, that helps keep such legislative leaders in power, some say. Rep. Rosita Youngblood, a Philadelphia Democrat, filed an ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit against DeWeese and Veon in 2002, claiming funding for her district office was slashed $25,000 after she refused to toe the party line on key votes. Asked how she’s doing today, Youngblood said she’s gotten a paid intern for her office but not full-time staff.
“The issue has not been resolved,” she said.
Rep. Michael Diven became a Republican last year saying he lost his district staff and faced a primary opponent backed by the Democratic leaders when he fell out of their favor because of disagreements over the 2000 redistricting plan. Diven was one of the few who saw a possibility of change, although he no longer sits in the Democratic caucus.
“I think there’s enough Democrats to be in the position to not want to see DeWeese at the podium,” he said.
Despite some detractors, both DeWeese and Veon said they feel secure that they would end up at the top, DeWeese as Speaker and Veon as majority leader.
“I’m sure there would be a few descending votes but in the grand finale I would feel we would have the vote,” said DeWeese.
About dissent, Veon said, “We also take the position that our job is to lead and make decisions and any time you are a leader and make a decision not everyone is going to be happy with the decision.”
DeWeese added that he had dinner with six candidates from the western part of the state recently and feels confident about their support, although he “did not extract a blood oath of political fealty in our first dinner.”
DeWeese said he’d push for an eventual elimination of property taxes through a 1 percent increase in sales tax. And he said he would like to see poorer and more rural districts, such as those in his own district, draw more state funding. DeWeese also mentioned lobbyist disclosure and limits to campaign contributions as reform measures he would support but went no further.
DeWeese briefly held the majority leader position from 1990 to 1992, before leading a coup against Speaker Robert O’Donnell. He held the top post just a couple years before a Democrat defected to the Republicans and put that party in power for the last 12 years.
Supporters of the two commend their leadership for accomplishing much while sitting in the minority. Rep. Frank LaGrotta, a Beaver County Democrat who lost his primary bid, credits them for fighting for education and Medicaid funding and getting the minimum wage raised to $7.15 an hour. LaGrotta put dissent to at most six people and said the pay raise debate has settled down.
“The members I know – the Democrats I’m close to – all know the leadership of our caucus has done a masterful job of moving the governor’s agenda, despite the fact that we have a difficulty in terms of votes,” he said.
Indeed, overt discontent among House Democrats has been lesser than the Republican caucus where there was speculation of an impending coup to Speaker John Perzel’s power this spring. Still, just earlier this year dozens of rank and file members from both parties joined forces to promote reform measures that are, in part, meant to check the power of leadership.
One difficulty in predicting the Democratic leaders’ ascension is the sheer number of newcomers into the Legislature next year, at minimum 43 when considering all the retiring and ousted lawmakers.
“I think if there is a wild card, it is the new Democratic members,” said Rep. Greg Vitali, a Delaware County Democrat. “But I think among existing members the positions at the top of leadership are pretty secure.”
Some of the newcomers will be elected as reform candidates. At least one Democratic candidate, Tim Mahoney from Fayette County’s 51st District, has said he would vote against keeping DeWeese in power.
Alison Hawkes can be reached at 717-705-6330 or ahawkes@calkins-media.com.