Open records would have provided cure
Regarding Bonusgate, the scandal in which Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has thus far indicted 12 people who either worked for or served in the House Democratic caucus, here’s what one person had to say:
“If we had had an (updated) open records law, this fiasco would not have taken place.” Is that person:
A. Tim Potts of Democracy Rising PA,
B. State Rep. Timothy S. Mahoney,
C. House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, or
D. Activist Gene Stilp.
If you guessed Potts, you’re wrong. If you guessed Mahoney, you’re wrong. And if you guessed Stilp, you’re wrong.
The person who uttered those words before our editorial board last week was DeWeese, the long-time leader of House Democrats who, by his own admission, was late in coming to the open records party.
Actually, you could argue that DeWeese kind of got dragged into that party by Mahoney after the 2006 election. That’s the one which swept Mahoney into office on an open records platform and simultaneously saw DeWeese barely survive a challenge by Republican novice Greg Hopkins.
Until then, it’s fair to say that DeWeese was no champion of open records reform. The state Legislature, by way of reminder, was excluded from the open records law for way too many years. We tried to make the point to DeWeese – and anyone else who would listen – that change was needed in order to provide transparency into how state money was being spent.
State Sen. Richard A. Kasunic, D-Dunbar, saw the light early on. Kasunic went so far as to say that he wanted open records reform so that he could know more about what was going on. Not so with DeWeese, who clung too long to the notion that the old system was working very well, thank you.
At the same time that DeWeese was defending the old ways, according to Corbett and an investigating grand jury, a conspiracy among several top House Democratic caucus staffers was under way. That band, led by DeWeese’s former number two in command, former state Rep. Mike Veon, D-Beaver, was reportedly siphoning off millions of dollars in staff bonuses and otherwise using state resources to underwrite illegal campaign work.
It’s a bittersweet irony that DeWeese, who hasn’t been indicted and forcefully states that he knew nothing about any illegal activity, now finds himself in hot water as the leader of the Democratic caucus. Some want him to step down.
Had a modern open records law been in place even a few years ago, chances are very good that no one would have dared try to pull off such a conspiracy.
Why? Because it would have been much easier for someone – including DeWeese or other staffers, not to mention the media – to find out where the money was going, and for what real purpose. The mere fear of being found out would have served as a powerful check and balance against such alleged abuse.
And even if someone had decided to take the chance, it’s far more likely that the scheme would have been exposed before it got too out of hand. Remember, one of the things Corbett alleges is that Democratic caucus resources were being used to conduct opposition research, another illegal activity, dating back to the early 1990s.
“If I made a mistake … it was in trusting some of my subordinates,” says DeWeese.
The other mistake, and one that DeWeese and House Democrats are currently in the process of paying for, is not advocating changes to the open records law sooner. They should have championed that cause, not as the minority or majority party, but because it was the right thing to do.
Now, they risk losing their one-vote majority in the state House – and with it the clout that comes from being in charge. And DeWeese is again in the thick of a tough re-election battle.
Paul Sunyak is editorial page editor of the Herald-Standard. He can be reached at 724-439-7577 or psunyak@heraldstandard.com