Jan 15, 2008 By Kori Walter 3 min read

HARRISBURG – A political activist who helped stoke public outrage over the 2005 legislative pay raise said Monday that most of the 55 freshman lawmakers deserve a failing grade for their first year in office. Gene Stilp, leader of Taxpayers and Ratepayers United, said the freshman generally seemed to have lost their leadership skills after walking through the doors of the Capitol in January 2007.

“I would give the majority of the (freshman) class an ‘F,'” Stilp told reporters during an event intended to keep the pressure on Gov. Ed Rendell and state lawmakers to pass reform measures such as limiting campaign contributions and outlawing lame-duck legislative sessions.

Several freshman House members said the grade was unfair because rules of that chamber have been changed to eliminate late-night votes and to allow more debate on bills.

“We’re a ‘B’ if not an ‘A,'” said Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-South Union Township. “You are dealing with an institution that’s been running the same way for a couple of hundred years. You are not going to change it in a year.”

Stilp said House Democrats have been especially reluctant to stand up to House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, as a grand jury investigates if bonuses paid to legislative staffers in both parties were rewards to those who pitched in on political campaigns.

“A lot of freshmen Democrats are standing totally behind DeWeese,” he said.

Stilp also criticized freshman, many of whom won their seats thanks to the reform movement, for accepting state-leased vehicles, up to $150 per day expense accounts and automatic cost-of-living pay increases.

“They walked in and took as much of the loot as they could,” Stilp said of the freshman lawmakers.

Stilp, a Dauphin County resident, traveled around the state with a giant, inflatable pig in 2006 drawing attention to what he called greedy lawmakers and other state officials.

The sustained public anger Stilp and other reform groups generated led to the repeal of legislation giving salary increases of up to 34 percent to lawmakers, judges, Gov. Ed Rendell and other top state officials.

Deberah Kula, D-North Union Township, said freshman lawmakers deserve some credit for drawing attention to reform issues and helping bring about changes to rules in the state House.

“I think that many freshmen have been very instrumental,” she said. “I think we have caused people to think about things. We’re not voting in the middle of the night anymore, and we are taking the time to deliberate on bills.”

Other reform group leaders offered a less critical assessment of the freshman than Stilp.

Matthew Brouillette, president and chief executive officer of a The Commonwealth foundation, a conservative Harrisburg think tank, said leadership deserves much of the blame for a lack of reform measures.

“All the new folks are sitting at the back of the bus,” he said. “It’s not an easy bus to turn around.”

Eric Epstein, founder of Rock The Capital, agreed.

“I wouldn’t lay all the blame at the feet of the freshman,” he said. “I think there’s been a lot of time spent creating the illusion of reform.”