Pennsylvania legislative pay raises, Harrisburg mayor's race among decade's top political stories | Breaking Midstate News ...

Pennsylvania legislative pay raises, Harrisburg mayor's race among decade's top political stories | Breaking Midstate News with The Patriot-News -: "Pennsylvania legislative pay raises, Harrisburg mayor's race among decade's top political stories
By The Patriot-News
January 01, 2010, 12:00AM

The state Capitol received many visits from protesters, angry voters and a pink pig. A short-lived hefty pay raise for state officials in 2005 prompted a political backlash that hadn’t been seen in Harrisburg for years. Today, The Patriot-News continues its review of the decade’s top stories with a look at the biggest stories in politics and government. The scandal known as Bonusgate emerged, a story that will continue to unfold in the year ahead. Ed Rendell pursued an ambitious agenda as governor, and the longest-serving senator in Pennsylvania’s history switched parties. The past 10 years have shown quite clearly that in politics, nothing lasts forever, as Rick Santorum, Stephen R. Reed, and a host of state lawmakers learned."

Sean Simmers, The Patriot-News/file 

Petitions against the Legislative pay raise with 123,000 signatures are rolled out on the Capitol steps in Harrisburg during the "Rock the Capitol" rally. A crowd estimated in the thousands turned out to protest the 2005 pay raises given to lawmakers, judges and other state officials.


2005 PAY RAISE

The massively unpopular pay raise for state lawmakers and other top state officials was rescinded four months after it took effect. The backlash lasted far longer. And it still resonates. The 2005 pay raise engendered a huge outcry for many reasons. Many saw the size of the raises — 11 percent to 54 percent — as an insult to hard-working taxpayers. But to make it more toxic, the vote took place at 2 a.m. on an early July morning without any public debate. And then lawmakers began their summer vacation. Some lawmakers earned a more permanent vacation. Fanned by grass-roots groups, enraged voters ousted two dozen state lawmakers in the 2006 election, and 29 more decided to retire. The 2005 pay raise illustrated an important lesson for lawmakers: Push voters far enough, and they’ll push you out the door.

 
The Patriot-News/fileGov. Ed Rendell and members of the House and Senate announced they had come to a budget deal on Friday, Sept. 18, 2009.

 GOV. ED RENDELL

Through much of his two terms as the state’s governor, Ed Rendell showed why he earned the nickname “Teflon Ed.” Early in his administration, the Democratic governor raised the state’s income tax to deal with a deficit. He signed the law giving state legislators and top officials the much-reviled pay raise. Still, Rendell largely escaped the public wrath. Rendell easily won re-election in 2006, defeating Lynn Swann, the Pittsburgh Steelers legend. Rendell has won big increases in school spending. He has expanded prescription drug benefits to seniors, and Rendell signed the state’s slots gaming law, bringing casinos to Pennsylvania. He won approval to raise the state’s minimum wage well before the federal government did so. But Rendell earned criticism from the GOP, who accused the governor of pushing spending increases that couldn’t be sustained as the economy slowed. He has only one year left as governor — he cannot run for re-election.

The Patriot-News/filePennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett announces a round of criminal charges in the so-called Bonusgate investigation of the state Legislature.

BONUSGATE

In January 2007, a state House Democratic staffer told The Patriot-News Capitol Bureau that staffers were receiving secret bonus payments. That tip triggered a series of Patriot-News stories, and helped spark the investigation that became known as Bonusgate. State Attorney General Tom Corbett began a probe into whether any bonuses were rewards for campaign work. To date, 25 people have been charged with misusing taxpayer money and resources for re-election campaigns. Two former state House Speakers have been indicted: state Rep. John Perzel, R-Philadelphia and state Rep. H. William DeWeese, D-Greene. Three former state House members, all Democrats, have been charged: Mike Veon, Sean Ramaley, and Stephen Stetler. In the first Bonusgate case to go to trial, a Dauphin County Court jury found Ramaley not guilty. More arrests could be coming, Corbett says.

Gary Dwight Miller, The Patriot-News/fileFormer U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum

 SANTORUM DEFEATED

Rick Santorum emerged as a hero in the national GOP. A favorite of many conservatives, he spoke loudly about his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. He became the No. 3 man in the U.S. Senate. By 2006, Bob Casey Jr. bounced him from the Senate. In Casey, Santorum found an opponent who could neutralize some of his advantages with “values voters.” Casey opposes abortion rights. Although critics called him incendiary, Santorum won praise from fans and even some foes for his willingness to speak his mind without fear of how it would play. He has acknowledged an interest in running for president in 2012, and has been making appearances in the early primary states.

The Patriot-News/fileSen. Arlen Specter, D-Pennsylvania, answered questions at a town hall meeting in August 2009 in Lebanon, Pa., at HACC's Lebanon Campus. The senator took 30 questions from many who oppose health care reform. Hundreds lined up outside HACC Lebanon Campus, but only 250 people were allowed to enter the building.

 ARLEN SPECTER

To becomes Pennsylvania’s longest-serving senator, Arlen Specter overcame a host of serious challenges. He faces more challenges in keeping his seat. Specter survived two bouts of cancer. He described his cancer battle in a best-selling memoir. And he narrowly defeated Pat Toomey, the former Lehigh Valley congressman, in the 2004 GOP Senate primary (he cruised to victory in the general election). Early in 2009, Specter proved once again to be a major player in key legislation, including this year’s stimulus package. The fallout from the vote prompted the longtime Republican to switch parties and cast his lot with the Democrats when it became clear he’d lose a GOP primary battle with Toomey. But Specter found that a party switch doesn’t necessarily mean a guaranteed victory. He faces a strong challenge from U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak in the Democratic Senate primary next year, and he may have to square off against Toomey again in November.

CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News/fileLong time supporter Donald Donagher, of Mechanicsburg, right, puts his hands on the shoulders of Mayor Stephen R. Reed, as he concedes the Democratic primary to City Councilwoman Linda Thompson, at the Elks Club in Harrisburg Tuesday, May 19, 2009. 

 STEPHEN REED LOSES

Most of the members of the Harrisburg Senators weren’t alive when Stephen R. Reed became mayor of Harrisburg. So perhaps it’s understandable that Reed would think that he wouldn’t have to do much campaigning as he sought an eighth term. Still, Linda Thompson’s victory over Reed in the 2008 Democratic primary was a shock. For years, Reed easily had won re-election. Even in his 2005 campaign, when he ran amidst criticism for spending on Wild West artifacts on a museum that would never happen, Reed cruised to a comfortable re-election. And unlike prior years, Reed didn’t have his typical safety net in winning the GOP primary. Nevin Mindlin secured the Republican nomination, sealing the end of Reed’s seven-term run. The man who helped bring private developers, Restaurant Row, and yes, the Harrisburg Senators, is leaving office, and the city is vastly different because of him.

JOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-News/fileFormer Gov. Tom Ridge stopped by the Barnes & Noble in Camp Hill in September to promote his new book.

 TOM RIDGE

Tom Ridge was in the midst of his second term as governor when President George W. Bush tapped Ridge to serve as his homeland security chief after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The Republican from Erie presided over an overhaul of the federal government involving many agencies and 180,000 employees. Ridge’s color scheme for terror alerts became a late-night punchline. But when he decided to step down late in 2004, Ridge left with one distinction he dearly wanted: there were no major attacks on American soil during his time on the job. There was much speculation that John McCain, Ridge’s longtime friend, would tap him as his running mate in the 2008 presidential election. Instead, McCain went with Sarah Palin. In a book published earlier this year, Ridge recounts disagreeing with some Bush administration officials about the need to raise terror alerts and questioned if they were politically motivated. But Ridge maintained no such pressure came from President Bush. Some speculate about a 2012 presidential run, and he was unusually coy about such a possibility in a CNN interview this year.

The Patriot-News/2007Former Pennsylvania legislator Tom Druce

 TOM DRUCE

Tom Druce, then a state representative from Bucks County and a rising star, was involved in a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed Kenneth Cains in Harrisburg in 1999. In September 2000, Druce pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a fatal accident, tampering with evidence and insurance fraud. He resigned his House seat. But Druce spent years appealing his 2- to 4-year prison sentence. As he remained free on bail, the criticism from some in the city grew, as many criticized a justice system that, in their view, protected the privileged. Druce began his jail term in May 2004, serving his sentence at Laurel Highlands, a minimum security prison in Somerset County. He was released in March 2006.

PHEAA AND RESORTS

The board members of the state’s student aid agency held retreats at a host of pricey resorts. After a series of reports in The Patriot-News, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency would undergo sweeping changes. The newspaper found that PHEAA spent more than $860,000 for six board retreats at resorts between 2000 and 2005. And the agency spent more than $2.2 million on promotional giveaways between 2003 and 2007, even after Gov. Ed Rendell issued a memo saying he wanted to put an end to buying novelty items such as rubber ducks and T-shirts with PHEAA names on them. Dick Willey, the CEO during that time, would resign amidst growing criticism from the Rendell administration, and the board would gain new leadership. The governor became further irritated after learning that the agency spent $409,000 on a legal fight with The Patriot-News and other media organizations to block the disclosure of expenses related to the retreats. The Commonwealth Court ordered the agency to pay The Patriot-News’ legal fees.

The Patriot-News/2008A memorial for the late Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll is placed at the Rotunda in the Capitol in Harrisburg on Nov. 13, 2008. Gary Dwight Miller, The Patriot-News 

 DEATH OF CATHERINE BAKER KNOLL

Catherine Baker Knoll became the first woman to become Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor. Immensely popular in western Pennsylvania, Gov. Ed Rendell’s decision to add her to his ticket was seen as an astute move in locking up his election. She died last year at age 78 after battling cancer. State Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, a Republican, assumed the lieutenant governor’s post after Knoll’s passing. With Scarnati’s ascension, it marked the first time in Pennsylvania history that the governor and lieutenant governor are members of different parties.