Area State Legislators: Should House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese step down over bonusgate scandal?

In an earlier post last week I noted that I had sent e-mails
to the five state House members - three Democrats and two
Republicans - who represent this area whether they would
publicly call for Rep. Bill DeWeese, D-Greene County, to
step down as majority leader for his role in the current
bonusgate scandal now being investigated by the state
attorney general (See August 25, Erie Times-News columnist
trumps newsroom).

So far, ten of DeWeese's fellow House Democrats downstate
have called for him to step down.

Here's the question I posed to area legislators:

As you know, your House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese was
not one of the eight legislators, all Democrats, indicted
recently by the Grand Jury investigating the so-called
Bonusgate scandal.

However, that investigation by the state attorney general's
office is continuing, and it's a virtual certainty that
others will be implicated.

So far, ten of your Democrat colleagues in the House of
Representatives have asked Rep. DeWeese to step down
as majority leader even though he wasn't indicted because
he is/was very close to some of the principals who
have been, and because this scandal occured, so to speak,
"on his watch."

It's generally believed that it is inconceivable Rep. DeWeese
did now know about the bonus gate activities in which case
he is culpable by association; or, if he didn't, he's an
incompetent leader.

Can you tell me whether you believe Rep. DeWeese should
step down as majority leader or,as one of your House
Democrat colleagues has suggested, resign from the
legislature and abort his reelection campaign?

RESPONSES

Of the five area state legislators, three have responded
to my question. They are Reps. Pat Harkins (D), Rep. John Evans (R)
and Rep. Curt Sonney (R). Reps. Flo Fabrizio and John Hornaman,
both Democrats, have not responded.

Here's Rep. Evans's response:

Dear Mr. LaRocca

"As a Republican member of the House, I do not have a vote for
Democratic leadership positions. Only members of the Democratic
Caucus have the ability to address the viability of Rep. DeWeese's
leadership. Thank you for your concern regarding this matter.

John Evans

In a subsequent response,Rep. Evans added these comments:

Dear Mr. LaRocca,

Perhaps there is a reason that only Democrats are calling
for him to step down. They elected him as their leader.
Your question would be a different story if you were
talking about our Republican leader Sam Smith, as I
voted for him to be the Republican leader. It makes
no difference what any Republican thinks about removing
Deweese as leader since we can do bsolutely nothing about
his leadership status. I hope this addresses your
question.

John Evans

Here's my response:

Dear Rep. Evans,

Thanks for your thoughtful response. You may have a point.
However, I believe the point you're missing is the role
of legislator as a filter of information for his and her
constituents.

Legislators are our eyes and ears in Harrisburg.
Especially in light of the fact that here in Erie
County the only daily newspaper covering all or
most of three key counties does not staff the
legislature or central state government in Harrisburg
from the Northwest PA perspective.

Whether or not there is sorely needed legislative reform
going forward depends upon whether the mass of public
opinion is behind it. That will only happen if you and your
colleagues inform the public of the critical need for reform
(about which I'll have more to say to you later)in light of
the corruption which the attorney general has uncovered,
with still more to come, perhaps implicating some Republicans.

If you and your colleagues remain silent on the issues
and feed me and the public coordinated responses that
don't address them realistically, there's nothing to
launch and sustain reform. Fortunately, ten Democrat legislators
downstate have not taken that position.

Joe LaRocca

Here's Rep. Sonney's response:

"Thank you for your website submission from Aug. 8th. As a
Republican I'm sure that Rep. DeWeese could care less about
my thoughts on him stepping down. You asked if I believe if
he should step down from his leadership role? Absolutely!
As you mentioned in your email, it happened "on his watch"
therefore, he should be held responsible for the actions of
his caucus' members and staff. Furthermore, you asked if he
should end his re-election campaign, fortunately we live in a
great country that allows the people of his district to decide
who will represent them in Government. I would hope that the
good citizens that he currently represents will not send him
back to Harrisburg."

Here's Rep. Harkins's response:

Mr. Larocca,

Thank you for your interest in Mr. DeWeese.
I have been working on a number of issues in my district
the past month(Education, Healthcare, Property Tax
Reform) that not being in Harrisburg I have not had the
chance to talk to the rest of the Democratic Caucus
to see what is actually going on. What do you think I
should do?

Pat Harkins

In response to Rep. Harkins's question to me above,
"What do you think I should do?" I replied as follows:

Dear Rep. Harkins

As I indicated, Rep. DeWeese has not been indicted for an
alleged crime, so this is not a case of presumption of innocence.
The question is whether Rep. DeWeese knew what was going on with
respect to bonus gate, even if he wasn't a participant, which
he may have been.

If he did know or participated, he's complicit. If, as
he says, he didn't, then he's an incompetent leader.
That's an issue for his House followers to judge. In
either case, I believe he should step down. Apparently,
at least ten of your Democrat colleagues agree.

I personally believe Rep. DeWeese is complicit based on
eveything I've read, including his own published statements
in one or all of the state's four major newspapers: the
Harrisburg Patriot News, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the
Philadelphia Inquirer and the Allentown Call (Forget the
Erie Times-News. They're clueless).

I don't see how House Democrats can claim any credibility
going forward if DeWeese remains in the caucus leadership
in any capacity. Democrat credibility may not be salvageable
in any case, depending upon what happens with the ongoing
investigation.

My experience is that corruption is contagious, doesn't
respect political boundaries, and it's possible
that some Republicans may be implicated, in which case
the entire House's credibility is at stake. Unless those
presumably like you who were not implicated make a vigorous
and transparent effort to clean House, so to speak, its
future looks even more dismal.

As can be seen, all three legislators who responded
to my query danced around the question.So I again posed the
question: This time Rep. Harkins replied:

Joe, as I said before I have not been in Harrisburg to speak with the
rest of the Democratic Caucus or Rep. DeWeese. We have nine session days
scheduled for the fall session and the election is on Nov. 4th. and if
the voters in his district feel they want to vote him out that is their
prerogative.

If the man has not been indicted or convicted of a crime I
have no reason to ask him to resign. I am as frustrated as you that only
Democrats have been indicted in this probe and the more I see the more I
suspect that there is a political motive involved here. After the
November 4th. election we Democratic House members will meet to
reorganize and at that time we will see who would be best to lead our
caucus. If this is a political ploy to weaken the Democrats in November
I am very concerned with who might try to lead the Republicans and serve
as speaker of the House. Stay tuned!

Rep. Pat Harkins

I responded:

Dear Rep. Harkins:

Thanks for your amplification. I believe the test of whether
it's a political ploy depends enirely on whether the attorney
general finds that some Republicans are implicated. As I said
earlier, I believe large scale corruption such as this is
contagious and crosses party lines.I will be very surprised,
as well as suspicious, like you, if some Republicans are not
implicated.

I don't understand why you feel you need to consult with
the other members of your caucus. This is a matter of
individual conscience. Apparently ten members of your
caucus downstate individually believe he should step down
as majority leader and have publicly said so.

You say that "if the voters in his district feel they want
to vote him out that is their prerogative." However, regardless
of whether Rep. DeWeese is indicted and/or convicted of a crime(s), his
failure of leadership, which is undeniable, greatly transcends
his district and has both statewide and national impications
because of the adverse effect bonusgate has had in corrupting
Pennsylvania's treasury and electoral processes.

Your constituents and the constituents of every other legislator
outside DeWeese's district have a compelling stake in whether he
continues to wield leadership power statewide.

Sincerely,

Joe LaRocca