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Rendell says he’s in the dark too

3 min read

By Alison Hawkes On the never-ending topic of secrecy in state spending, Gov. Ed Rendell this week offered up the stunning revelation that he’s in the dark as much as the public and the media.

At an impromptu press gaggle, Rendell was talking about the PHEAA spending boondoggle.

“It’s hard for me because I have the same problem getting access to records as you do,” said the governor. “So it’s hard for me to analyze that.”

Pretty unbelievable that the governor of Pennsylvania would have to go digging through blacked-out spending receipts or stand in line with reporters in an appointment book with the House clerk’s office to review expenditure records.

But if we just take him on his word, it proves what a cesspool of secrecy Harrisburg really is.

Meanwhile, Rendell said this week he’ll be drafting legislation later this month to rewrite the state’s meager open records law. To the hurrah of the newspaper association, Rendell’s version will presume all records are public with certain exceptions.

Wonder if that will include more information about WAMs (walking around money), which are back in the spotlight (again).

Rendell’s office denied a request for list of community and economic development grants per legislative district last fall, saying it was not a “public record.” We’re still waiting on further explanation about Secretary Dennis Yablonsky’s claim this week that 25 grant programs with the department are controlled entirely or in part by the Legislature.

Wonder if the governor has access to that information.

Office of Dis-Information

On the subject of dis-information, the governor’s office put out a press release this week about the Chester Upland School District. Here’s what it said “verbatim” (since Latin seems to be in vogue):

“Secretary Firstname M. Lastname said today that the commonwealth would no longer do such and such. Lastname later went to the new location. Vivamus ullamcorper, metus id facilisis vulputate, magna leo tempus sapien, ultricies egestas lorem est id ante…”

It then continues:

“Morbi dui justo, gravida vitae, congue a, convallis condimentum, ligula. Morbi rutrum interdum sem. Praesent eget augue eu magna semper imperdiet. Pellentesque vel leo quis mi iaculis posuere. Donec dapibus dictum tortor. Sed posuere dolor.”

Got it?

We’re still looking for an expert in ancient Mediterranean languages to translate this one.

In the meantime, we checked in with the governor’s press office for an explanation.

They called it a “technical glitch” that belongs in the “recycle bin” not in a news story.

Thanks for the journalism advice.

Reform mettle

Monday’s going to be pretty interesting. The House Legislative Reform Commission’s got its 32 recommendations to overhaul the way the chamber does business. We’ll see what kind of mettle the House really has for reform.

A slew of amendments came out Friday that further the game. One limits outside earned income to 10 percent of a legislative salary (about $7,400). Guess that means we’d get full-time lawmakers for their full-time pay.

Others place term limits on legislative leaders and committee chairs, ban state vehicles from use for political purposes (duh), and do away with the names, voices, and faces of lawmakers on televised public service announcements.

Guarantee there will be some that also back peddle the commission’s recommendations, so stay tuned for a feisty debate.

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

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