Auditor general praised
Pennsylvania is widely known as a state of corruption and one which is in chaos.
Many who occupy high elective office all the way up to the State Supreme Court have been indicted, convicted, and/or imprisoned or have resigned under the threat of criminal charges and the loss of their heavily gilded pensions. Our budget is balanced only on paper and through the most rosy predictions which are unlikely to come to fruition. Privatization of alcohol sales as occurs everywhere in the free world remains a pipe dream as we merely tinker around the edges of state control. Tax reform/relief remains the impossible dream after decades of debate and little courage. State pension funds are out of balance by as much as $65 billion, and we are offered no solutions to remedy it, with new state employees to this day being able to enter the system with the guarantee of a generous defined benefit pension that per the state Constitution cannot be diminished at any time within their employment.
One area of state government of which I am proud is the office of auditor general headed by the able, experienced, and tireless Eugene DePasquale. I followed the legislative career of then-Representative DePasquale and consistently found him to be a man of honor, integrity, and innovative, one who supported legislation which would provide a public benefit.
DePasquale faced off against my longtime state Rep. John Maher, when seeking the office in 2012. Maher touted his credentials as the only Certified Public Accountant in the General Assembly and surely expected to coast to victory. CPA Maher set the interests of the public aside when he voted for the 2001 retroactive pension boost of 50 percent for himself and his greedy colleagues and 25 percent for rank-and-file state employees and public school teachers, setting in motion the calamity of today, the enormous accumulated deficit in the funds. He also voted for the smarmy 2005 middle-of-the-night pay raise from which he and others were forced to retreat upon a most unexpected public revolt. I took into account these betrayals of the public and supported DePasquale for auditor general. I am glad I did.
The auditor general has consistently engaged in extensive investigations and audit of entities within his purview, bringing to light instances of mismanagement and malfeasance involving public monies, serving to embarrass those who brought it about and to warn of action that must be taken to avoid taxpayers being on the hook for bailing out those who acted with incompetence and disdain for those they purport to serve.
As former auditor general and gubernatorial candidate Barbara Hafer is currently under criminal indictment, it becomes ever more clear that an honest, hard-working, decent man (or woman) is not easy to find in high places in government today. I believe DePasquale is that man. He would be an attractive gubernatorial candidate. If anyone could bring us together and move meaningful legislation to benefit the average Pennsylvanian, it would be him.
Oren M. Spiegler is a resident of Upper Saint Clair.