Feb 8, 2007 By Alison Hawkes For The 2 min read

HARRISBURG – Reform activist Gene Stilp blew up his 25-foot inflatable pig outside the Capitol Wednesday to call for the resignation of House Democratic Leader H. William DeWeese and the two Republican House leaders. Stilp said the scandal over $3.7 million in legislative employee bonuses over the last two years – of which $3.2 million came from the House – was the last straw from leaders promising reform.

“They should resign from office. That’s it,” said Stilp, who stood unraveling the pig in 9-degree wind chill. “They promised reform. They hid the fact they gave out bonuses in massive quantities.”

The stunt targeted DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, who withheld bonus information calling it an “internal personnel matter” until a day after the three other House and Senate caucuses released their figures. Stilp also asked House Republican Leader Sam Smith and former House Speaker John Perzel to resign because they also doled out bonuses last year and kept the information secret.

DeWeese’s spokesman Tom Andrews said the lawmaker isn’t stepping aside.

“Gene’s theatrics aside, Rep. DeWeese very much intends to keep on being majority leader keep serving the people, and deliver more reform to this process from that post than any majority leader in memory,” said Andrews in an e-mail.

Andrews also said DeWeese has agreed with Stilp on other matters in the past, including repealing the pay raise.

DeWeese, however, voted against the repeal on the first vote before voting to repeal the pay raise on the second.

Stilp, who lives near Harrisburg, also said he is planning to take the pig, which has become the mascot of the 2005 pay raise, on a tour to the three leaders’ district offices in the near future.

He has also filed a lawsuit in Commonwealth Court against DeWeese, Speaker Dennis O’Brien, and acting treasurer Anthony Wagner in an effort to get to the bottom of whether the bonuses were serving as illegal compensation for campaign-related work.

DeWeese has said bonuses were not used as a reward for campaign work.

Alison Hawkes can be reached at 717-705-6330 or ahawkes@calkins-media.com.