DeWeese boasts about House reforms
Sandra F. Williams, DeWeese’s chief of staff, said Friday that meaningful change takes time and that DeWeese is committed to soldiering forward with reforms. “Nothing happens overnight, and people who think you can just change a culture or process over night are just short-sighted. It takes the mental and time investment and a commitment to not just changing them, but reforming them, and changing the way they’re done,” Williams said.
But the changes do not sit well with some political analysts who believe that DeWeese, as the Democrats’ House leader, didn’t change enough.
In a Sept. 2 letter responding to DeWeese’s invitation for a critique, Eric Epstein of RockTheCapital.org said he felt there were “several positive developments” in DeWeese’s July update of the reform agenda, but also said he felt there were “numerous glaring problems, omissions and weighted conclusions.”
The July update lists accomplishments in the 2007-2008 legislative session.
In his update, DeWeese notes that the caucus had two objectives: to bring forth legislation that would improve the lives of those in the state, and to have legislation and other measures that would reform operations in the House.
DeWeese noted that the House enacted legislation to help citizens and businesses save money on the high cost of energy, a new funding formula for public schools and a smoking ban for businesses.
He said state representatives also compiled a solid reform record, including passage of open records legislation.
DeWeese indicated that House Democratic Caucus was “instrumental” in ensuring the passage of the new law.
“This victory for taxpayers means that the records of all branches of government at the state and local level, including the state Legislature, will be presumed to be open to the public unless specifically exempted in other state or federal law,” said DeWeese.
Epstein acknowledged that the new open records law brought about greater openness, but Tim Potts of Democracy Rising PA called the new legislation “a perfect example of a weak law that accomplishes very little.”
Potts suggested that the caucus start abiding by the law now, instead of waiting until January, when it officially takes effect. Not doing so shows that their effort is not sincere, he said.
Additionally, the law’s penalties are “puny instead of punitive,” Potts said.
Epstein agreed with the assessment that penalties for illegally withholding information were weak.
“At any rate, all the caucuses and the governor deserve credit for updating an antiquated and regressive law,” he wrote.
Also listed among the accomplishments is the response to the Bonusgate allegations. DeWeese noted that when the allegations came to light a year and a half ago, Democratic leaders brought in “seasoned prosecutors” to facilitate cooperation with state prosecutors.
Epstein said that DeWeese needed to go beyond hiring seasoned prosecutors to assist in the Bonusgate investigation.
“You can’t pay your friends and associates to audit and exonerate you – it doesn’t work. The only way to shed light on a broken system is to dim and then replace the traditional dome fixtures,” he said.
DeWeese helmed the hiring of a consultant, who then hired attorneys for employees and members of the caucus who were interviewed or subpoenaed by state prosecutors.
The attorneys in question were hired to provide legal advice to caucus members or employees subpoenaed during the grand jury investigation into Bonusgate conducted by state Attorney General Tom Corbett. The investigation initially centered on whether millions of tax dollars doled out as employee bonuses were illegally awarded in exchange for campaign work.
The investigation led to an indictment of 12 current and former Democratic caucus lawmakers and staffers, and the indictment alleged that they used millions in state resources to operate political campaigns.
Those charged included former House Democratic Minority Whip Mike Veon, current state Rep. Sean Ramaley – both from Beaver County – and Michael Manzo, DeWeese’s former chief of staff.
The investigation is ongoing, and Corbett announced Tuesday that additional charges could come by the end of the month. As of Aug. 18, 110 Democratic caucus members or staffers benefited from taxpayer-subsidized lawyers.
Both Epstein and Potts criticized how Bonusgate was handled.
Potts noted that the House Democrats were the last to release records of who received bonuses and how much each person received. Also, House Democrats and Republicans have refused to provide the names of employees and members who got taxpayer-subsidized attorneys.
“The secrecy surrounding what taxpayers have received for $1.8 million in funds to DeWeese’s pals is more evidence that the culture of corruption hasn’t changed a bit. Every document produced and every person who benefited should be on the public record and easily accessible,” Potts said.
Epstein noted that while DeWeese has said that seasoned prosecutors were brought in to aid the investigation, those same lawyers tried to pre-empt subpoenas requiring some caucus employees from appearing before the grand jury.
Williams said that reform on how finances were handled was a key part of the agenda, noting that internal controls have made the Legislature more attuned to its spending. Doing that, she said, makes it easier to track where money is being spent.
Greg Hopkins, the Republican challenging DeWeese for his seat in November, said the agenda is “lacking a very key issue in regard to finance reform.
“Why have all of these new measures been adopted regarding employees in the caucus, but have left the leader out of the checks and balances?” he asked. “There is nothing that screams, ‘We need reform’ more than the fact that Bill DeWeese can spend our taxpayer money with no accountability, no auditing, nothing.”
He questioned where the money is going, and to whom.
“This is wrong. Until I see that in the reform agenda, I believe we are faced with more of the usual smoke and mirrors,” Hopkins said.
The Speaker’s Reform Commission is also listed as an accomplishment, and the list includes limited hours for House sessions, and a requirement that 24 hours must pass before a concurrence vote on a bill that has come from the Senate with amendments.
Another of the accomplishments listed as the “overhauled and restructured management team.” Included in that is the firing of employees suspected of misconduct. The reform updates indicate that DeWeese “brought in new management team members with reputations for integrity, excellence and professionalism.”
Epstein indicated he felt the reform had no independent or external audit proposals, and it was “folly” to believe that the government could police itself.
“Perhaps things are better than before, but if your life was an “F” and you worked yourself up to a “D,” it won’t be long before your caucus wants to be at least average and experience normalcy,” he wrote.