Feb 17, 2007 By Amy Zalar 3 min read

Just days after canceling catered meals for state House Democrats during session days, Majority Leader H. William DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, has ended the practice of paying a driver to transport him around the state. “Representative DeWeese recognizes that he is a steward of hard-earned tax dollars and has canceled the practice of hiring an outside driver,” said Tom Andrews, DeWeese’s press secretary, on Friday. Andrews added that the chauffeur was operating DeWeese’s personally owned pickup truck, and not a leased vehicle through the state. Andrews said DeWeese stopped using a state-leased vehicle several years ago.

The driver transported DeWeese from his Waynesburg district to Harrisburg and back, as well as to various meetings and appointments across Pennsylvania. Andrews has said having a driver gave DeWeese the opportunity to safely work on legislation, read and make telephone calls during the commute, which is more than three hours each way.

Eric Epstein, coordinator of RockTheCapital.org, a nonpartisan, voter education organization and political action committee, wasn’t impressed by the gesture. “Bill DeWeese continues to nibble around the margins of reform, without committing to long-term, structural changes in the way Harrisburg operates. He is tone deaf to real reform,” Epstein said. “The public never should have been billed for private catering, private bonuses or a private driver. This is a part of financial shell game.”

According to media reports, DeWeese spent $32,000 last year on a driver from Donna Hertig Enterprises. A Herald-Standard review of DeWeese’s legislative spending shows that in October 2006 Donna Hertig Enterprises received four payments totaling approximately $4,074 for driver services.

Tim Potts, cofounder of the good-government group Democracy Rising PA, wasn’t overly impressed with DeWeese’s latest move, noting that it’s a small concession in comparison to the major reform and accountability work that needs done.

“On a scale of one to 10, with one being minor reforms and 10 being major reforms, this is probably a one-and-a-half,” said Potts. “It’s a good thing to do and will save tens of thousands of dollars. What we need to do is get to the reforms that will save tens of millions of dollars.”

Andrews said DeWeese eliminated the driver’s contract as a part of a continuation of numerous reforms the majority leader has initiated this session. The first reform was eliminating catered meals for Democratic House members. A two-month review of DeWeese’s spending in late 2005 also showed regular payments of nearly $1,900 for sandwich and fruit platters for his caucus and an accumulated $45,178 to feed himself, staff and constituents.

According to Andrews, in addition to no more catered meals for Democratic House members, DeWeese has also initiated House session streaming live on the Internet at www.pahouse.com; added one minority part member to each standing committee and has begun posting roll call votes on the caucus Web site.

Andrews said it was DeWeese’s idea to create the Speaker’s Commission on Legislative Reform, and DeWeese is also interested in capping and beginning the rollback of legislative surpluses, “thus using even less taxpayer money.”

Andrews said as was in the case when DeWeese was Speaker in the early 1990s, DeWeese has advocated for the media to return to the House floor.