Case Against the Courthouse and the Patronage Factory

As promised, some details backing up the charge of hiring and patronage based upon political party....

The Landau campaign released the results of their analysis of the Executive Director and Personnel Departments at the Delco Courthouse:

Of the 40 employees working in the Personnel and Executive Director's offices, 38 are registered Republican and 31 are Republican Committee people or local GOP donors.

Landau also pointed to contracts given to political contributors, including those for independent audits on county expenditures.
"Our supposed independent auditors are some of the largest contributors to the local GOP coffers in the County," said Landau, pointing specifically to one auditing firm which doled out nearly $50,000 to local Republicans.

The Delco Times also covered this story: They added that ...
Mingis, Gutowski and Co., which has donated nearly $48,000 to various Republican candidates and the Delaware County Republican Finance Committee since 2000, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State Campaign Finance Reporting Web site.
Last month, county council approved Mingis, Gutowski for various single audits worth a total $83,400. Gee, that's a pretty good return on "investment". Kind of suspicious that an "independent" auditing firm is contributing money to the party of the people hiring them.

The Times also clarified one of Pat's claims about Landau getting $136,000+ from Nether Providence a supposed. example of Democratic patronage. Turns out the Democrats weren't the majority at the time.

Peterson referenced IRS 1099 forms from Nether Providence Township showing law firms Landau worked for received more than $136,000 in legal work between 1998, when Peterson said Democrats took control of council there, and 2001.

But Democrats actually got a voting edge there late in 2005. During a January 2006 reorganization, they did bring on several firms employing or run by Democrats, such as Bruce Bikin’s firm, Montgomery, McCracken, Walker and Rhoads, which was appointed as special counsel on labor and personnel matters, and Frank Daly, of Daly, O’Brien and Bongaardt, who was appointed solicitor.
Between 1998 and 2001, Landau’s firms — Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen LLP — racked up $113,006 from the township, and Hoyle, Morris and Kerr in 1998 received $23,381; a total $136,387 to the two firms.

But Sara Lynn Petrosky, former Democratic Nether Providence councilwoman and council president during that period, said council brought in all candidates for the various legal positions and reviewed them, Democrats and Republicans alike. Sometimes, she said, Democrats didn’t get who they wanted, just as some Republican council members didn’t get the people they wanted.

Back to Landau's press release:
Nepotism:
Landau also took exception to the high percentage of family members working in the courthouse. Eight of the 40 employees in Personnel and the Executive Director's office had family members working elsewhere in the county government.

Conflict of Interest:
Pointing to other potential conflicts, Landau noted that two executive county employees hold office in their local municipality.

And in Bucks County:
Sadly, this type of GOP behavior is not limited to Delco. In Bucks County, a study conducted by the Santarsiero & Marseglia campaign of
county-related Boards and Authorities in Bucks County found that patronage
and pay-to-play is prevalent to an embarrassing degree.

Breakdown of the partisan Development, Planning and Emergency Service Boards
and Authorities:

• 9 Republicans and 0 Democrats on the Bucks County Agricultural Land Preservation Board
  
• 5 Republicans and 2 Democrats on the Conservation District Board
  
• 9 Republicans and 0 Democrats on the Federal Lands Reuse Authority of Bucks County
  
• 11 Republicans and 1 Democrat on the Housing Development Corporation
  
• 5 Republicans and 0 Democrats on the Housing Finance Board
  
• 5 Republicans (chaired by Harry Fawkes) and 0 Democrats on the Industrial Development Authority
  
• 11 Republicans and 0 Democrats on the Local Emergency Planning Committee
  
• 3 Republicans and 4 Democrats on the Open Space Review Board
  
• 8 Republicans and 0 Democrats on the Parks & Recreation Board
  
• 8 Republicans and 1 Democrat on the Planning Commission
  
• 4 Republicans and 0 Democrats on the Redevelopment Authority
  
• 11 Republicans, 1 Democrat (a county employee) and 1 Other on the Solid
  Waste Advisory Committee
  
• 4 Republicans and 1 Democrat on the County Water and Sewer Authority Board
  Executive Committee
  
• 18 Republicans and 0 known Democrats on the Bucks County Economic
  Development Corporation
  

Sexton's Man, Reilly's Girl and Daddy's Little Boy

The Delco GOP Candidates (aka The Three Stooges) represent the weakest field of GOP candidates in recent memory. They have no message other than to pretend things are fine and to carry on business as usual. What little change they do mention is merely hollow rhetoric about increasing openness in government.

With Andrew Reilly running the campaign, the GOP machine hopes to extend its time on life-support and hold onto the cash-cow that monopoly rule as brought to the GOP, its patrons and its cronies (at the expense of the voters).

Weak Candidates:
The GOP candidates are suffering from a lack of broad support.
Tom McGarrigle is from Springfield (power base of Charlie "County Prison Board Deal" Sexton), and his campaign appears to have little appeal or funding outside of Springfield. Christine Cannon is Reilly's protege and represents what the voters want to change. Andy Lewis peaked when he became a Ward Commissioner in Haverford. Without "Daddy's name and/or money", he wouldn't even be in the race.

The Delco GOP machine is suffering some major breakdowns. This latest set of spare parts might as well have been made in China.

No Message, No Fiscal Responsibility:
More of the same is not a message. It is the absence of a message. From their campaign site: The candidates are committed to the same common sense approach to county government that has resulted in no tax increases for three straight years. The REAL REASON for no tax increases is that we are already taxed over 50% more than neighboring Montgomery County. See my previous Blog Post for details and a budget comparison.

Hollow Rhetoric:
On their site, the GOP candidate claim to want to increase transparency and openness in government through continued investment in new technologies.
New technologies? Since when does holding well-publicized public meetings at a convenient times require "new technology"? They can already publish a budget online, but making it clear where the money goes is another matter.
Besides, Andy Reilly is running their campaigns and already controls the council. If the GOP was really interested in open government or transparency we would already have it.

It's Unanimous: GOP Council Shares a Single Brain

At a recent press conference with the three Democratic County Council Candidates, David Landau pointed out the following:

"Since 2003, there have been 2,012 votes cast in council. Every single one was voted for unanimously," said Landau. "Every spending bill approved, every ordinance approved. Not once was a dissenting vote cast."

Has anyone ever heard of FIVE politicians that agreed on 2,012 votes in a row? I certainly haven't.

Since scientists haven't perfected brain-cloning, the most likely explanation is that someone else is calling the shots and that all five council members are little more than puppets doing as they are told. What is the point of having a 5 member council when 4 could leave and nothing would be any different?

Unless you've been a coma for the past 30 years, this scenario will not shock you.

In attempting to clarify why Council has voted unanimously in every vote since 2003, County Executive Director and GOP Spokeswoman, Marianne Grace, informed voters "It's not like council members are debating something that would require the partisan give-and-take found at higher and lower levels of government." Grace cited the War in Iraq and rubbish disposal contracts as two issues which were substantive enough to warrant debate.

"Amazingly Partisan" Grace seems to believe that all issues between "rubbish disposal" and the War in Iraq are not really topics for debate by GOP Council members. Well, it seems to me that this kind of thinking is the kind of rubbish we need to remove from County Council

If multiple contractors are competing for work, wouldn't you expect that at least once a member of Council might disagree with the other four? Oh, wait, I forgot. This is Delaware County where no-bid contracts are the rule, not the exception.

This lack of debate and fresh ideas is symptomatic of the stagnation in Delaware County and the aging GOP political machine that has mismanaged it.

And what of the new crop of GOP hopefuls hopeless hapless? Well, council boss Andy Reilly is running their campaigns (translation: attaching the strings for the next generation of puppets).

Ann O'Keefe, John Innelli and David Landau are diverse individuals, but unified by a real desire for truly open government:

• end No-Bid contracts
  
• disallow members or employees of pension boards to accept any gifts from money managers,
  
• call for a swifter process for making county records available,
  
• broadcast all council meetings on television, and
  
• require the text of all proposed ordinances to be made public before the council considers them for final passage.

Instead of paying FIVE GOP Council people for ONE set of weak ideas, voters can finally get their money's worth.

This November, Voters can end this cycle of monolithic incompetence and vote for change (for a change).

Delco Budget: Bulging, Bloated and ...Busted !

It seems Rocco's letter to the editor stirred up quite a bit of controversy (and nervousness among the GOP). The GOP likes to brag that they haven't had to raise taxes in three years. However, a comparison of Delco budget to Montgomery County's budget reveals that the Delco GOP County Council is spending 66% more per person.

In case the viewers at home want to play along... I have links to the two 2007 budgets: Delco Budget and Montco Budget (from the county websites).

Delco's 2007 budget is $304.8 million from the General Fund and an additional $260.5 million from State and Federal sources for a Grand Total of $565.3 million (I'll round down to $565 million.

Montco's budget is $269 million and an additional $194 million in grants for a Grant Total of $463 million.

• Montco spends $100 million less than Delco.
  
• The GOP tries to confuse things by claiming that we get more grant money from State and Fed, but that doesn't explain why we need $65.5 million more in state funds. On what (or whom) are we spending it?
  
• Delco's budget from the General Fund is nearly $36 million more than Montco's.
  
• According to 2000 census information, the population of Delco is about 550,000 and Montco is 750,000.
  
• Delco is spending about $1027 per person (about $552 of which from the General Fund). Montco is spending only about $617 per person (with only $359 coming from the General Fund.
  
• Delco spends $1027/$617 ==> 66% more per person. If we exclude the grant money from State and Fed then $552/$359 ==> 54% more per person.
  
• The Delco Republicans are bragging that they haven't raised taxes in 3 year. DUH! We are already paying above 50% more per person. and the State/Fed is kicking in TWICE as much per person.
  

Where is all the money going? Waste? Fraud? Nepotism? Patronage? Kickbacks? Total incompetence?

The GOP survives and thrives on keeping the facts hidden from the voters and maintaining the status quo.

What do "The Three Stooges" have to say about the budgets? The [GOP] candidates are committed to the same common sense approach to county government that has resulted in no tax increases for three straight years (2005, 2006, and 2007). (directly from their campaign website)

Translation: If the GOP collects at least 50% more person than Montco, we can pretend to hold the line on taxes by manipulating the unnecessary extra revenue. Shhh! Don't tell the voters.

Ooops! Cat's out of the bag now!

Looking for a Few Good Men

This is not a posting about Senator Craig!

Today The Hill reported that Rep. Sestak’s staffers keep jumping ship.

According to the article: Thirteen staffers have quit this year, say former aides citing public records.

Apparently the staff is expected to work as though they were in the military.

Aides are expected to work seven days a week, including holidays, often 14 hours each day, going for months without a day off. These are very long hours even by Capitol Hill standards
....
Sestak does not attribute staff resignations to problems of his own making.
... [however]....
The environment was so difficult for some aides that they quit without having found a new job.
Five former staffers who spoke to The Hill on the condition that they not be quoted cited excessive work hours and Sestak’s temper as reasons for their departure.

Sestak's district director, William Walsh [he was "Bill" during the campaign] said: "I don’t accept the premise that something is wrong systemically. We’re trying to create an environment that requires the same level of effort and effectiveness as" in the Navy. Bill William Walsh is a 30-year Navy veteran himself and used to these sort of hours.

However, the staffers are civilians, not military, and certainly not stuck on a ship in the ocean or subject to court martial. They can walk away (and have).

To be fair, Sestak is tireless and does work harder than everyone else, but that's his choice. If he also chooses to burn out his staff, he'll have to work even harder replacing and training them.

This one made me laugh at the irony:
"He's a very demanding guy, but he is pretty up front with his expectations," Clarence Tong, Sestak’s new communications director, said.

New! What happened to the previous communications director?

The reason I mention this is that during the 2006 campaign, Sestak's management style and "poor command climate" was frequently brought up by Weldon's supporters. Their contention was it made Sestak unfit for Congress. My reply was basically: Who cares if he is a bad boss? It would matter only to his staff, and they can walk away if they don't like it. In a free, competitive market, the problem would be self correcting.

My other point was that once elected, Sestak became OUR employee. He's already got a few dressing downs of his own from voters upset over his Iraq vote and his reasons against impeachment.

As regards the 2007 Delco County Races, the Democratic candidates can always use more volunteers (and they won't make you work 14-hour days). Even a few hours a week would be greatly and genuinely appreciated.

DelcoTimes editorial on Dem upswing

Phil Heron's editorial in today's Delco Times describes the Democratic surge (oops...maybe that's term reserved for GOP initiatives) in Delaware County, focusing on the race for the 3 open seats on County Council. John Innelli, David Landau and Ann O'Keefe are the Dems in this election.

Heron describes the long-running trend in Delco, moving from a completely GOP-dominated area to more balanced representation, saying, "Then something strange started happening. At least here in Delaware County. Democrats started winning elections. ... Now the Democrats have their eyes on the one prize that has eluded them: The Media courthouse."

The trend began from the top down in the 90s with Clinton winning in Delco, starting a long string of strong showings by Democratic Presidential candidates in the area. Of course, Joe Sestak's victory in 2006 set a new high water mark. And of course there are many Democratic local and state representatives with strong followings.

Heron says:

This very well could be a new day in Delco politics. Who would have thought that Democrats would be taken seriously, let alone considered a threat, in a race for county council?

Buckle your seat belts, voters. It’s going to be an interesting couple of months.

And we’ll all likely be better off for it.

It's true that the residents of Delaware County would be better off with 3 Democrats in there to bust up the Tamany Hall den of corruption that have cost the taxpayers of Delaware County millions of dollars in patronage jobs and crony contracts.

Put the Dems in and we get a shot a cleaning things up.

Keep that in mind when you pay that big County tax bill and get next to nothing in return!

Heron thinks this will be an interesting race. We hope the DelcoTimes provides good coverage of the election. But what would really be interesting would be if the DelcoTimes would do some investigative reporting on the issues. It's one thing to publish the accusations of corruption and the GOP rebuttals. It would be a much different (and interesting) story if the Times digs into these accusations.

Tips for the Delco Times: start with the County Prison, move to the contracts for various health care facilities, and see about the no-show jobs. And just for kicks and giggles, interview a few county employees who are directed to report for campaign duties.

That very well could be a new day in Delco political reporting!

Polidoro blasts GOP corruption in Delco County Council

Kudos to Rocco Polidoro for writing this letter to the editor, published in the Delco Times on August 6, 2007. Rocco was one of the 6 or 7 candidates who ran in May in the Dem primary race for County Council. With this letter, we can see the Rocco is working for the 3 candidates that won in the primary. I saw Rocco recently and shook his hand, not only for writing such a hard-hitting letter, but for his carrying on the spirit of party unity.

This letter is filled with the facts and figures the tell the story of how corrupt the (currently) Republican-led Delco County Council is wasting our taxpayer money. If you read this and still vote to continue the GOP hegemony, you just aren't paying attention. And you're voting against your own interests. This costs us millions of dollars every year.

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To the Times:

There is a very important election this November.

Three of the five county council seats are up for election. Based on my 25 years of business and political knowledge of Delaware County, I would venture to say that more than 95 percent of the residents do not know the following data.

County council will spend more than $500 million of your federal, state and county taxes in 2007 to run our county government. This county employs more than 3,600 employees.

For the last 32 years, there hasn’t been a Democrat elected to county council. All five council members are Republicans and all five are lawyers. There are 67 counties in Pennsylvania and other than a very small county in the northern part, we are the only county government in the state that does not have two-party representation.

If you view the Web site or the campaign material of the three Republican candidates this year, you would think they are fiscal conservatives and dedicated to smaller government. You would think these candidates — Andy Lewis, Christine Fizanno Cannon and Tom McGarrigle — had something to do with the fact that we haven’t had a county tax increase in three years, although they have all been selected and supported by the same group that has controlled the county in the past, they had nothing to do with that issue.

Not having a tax increase in the last three years is actually a smoke-screen. So if these three are elected this November, we will have “no change” in the way this county spends our taxes. And with the same group in control, we probably will have “no new direction” for this county for years to come.

Some would argue that the majority of the voters have elected these Republicans in the last 32 years. Do you really think a monopoly is good for local government? Who’s looking out for the several hundred thousand residents that are not registered Republican? Where are the checks and balances when our council is spending millions on no-bid contracts? In many cases the recipients of these no-bid contracts are also donors to the Republican Party. Are we getting the lowest and most responsible contract?

There should be a law that prohibits a contractor who bids for county government contracts in Delco from donating to political parties. We’ll never know with all five members from the same political organization if we are spending our taxes wisely.

Why have all five council members been awarded solicitorships on various boards and small government bodies within the county? I think it’s a great conflict of interest for elected council members to accept solicitorships while representing the people of Delaware County. You could only serve one master.

In addition to receiving $50,000 for the part-time position on county council, it is estimated all five members are also paid with more than 20 solicitorships within the county. And guess who’s paying for those positions? Is your town or school board paying any of the current council members?

Now let’s see how Delco’s spending compares to our neighbors. Bucks County has more than 50,000 more residents, according to the Census Bureau, but Delco will spend $112 million more than Bucks. The chairman of Delco council has said our county receives more state and federal grants than Bucks and Montco, and that we spend less on county taxes than our neighbors. Another smoke-screen.

We have to look at the total amount of taxes we are spending if we are to consider how efficient we are compared to our neighboring counties. After all, we are all federal, state and county taxpayers. Regardless of the county chairman’s spin, we are spending millions more than our neighboring counties.

When you look at where most of our taxes are going, you’ll see it’s on county jobs. And that’s what makes the Republican organization strong, patronage jobs. And you pay for it.

Delco employs 1,000 more employees than Bucks. And remember, Bucks has more than 50,000 more residents.

Compared to Montgomery County, Delco has 200,000 fewer residents, but yet spends $103 million more than Montco. Even though Montco is 40 percent larger in population, Delco employs 400 more employees.

Both Montco and Bucks include their prison employees in their total numbers, whereas Delco does not. And if you were to factor the prison employees back into these calculations, it would show that Delco is employing even more than our two neighboring counties. That’s because Delco employs an outside company to run our prison.

And what do Bucks and Montco have that Delco doesn’t? They have a two-party system running their governments.

It appears the organization that has controlled this county for 32 years with no “checks and balances” has taken advantage. The population figures, the number of employees and the budgets of the three counties are all posted online and available under the right-to-know law. The numbers speak for themselves.

This county is riddled with an over-abundance of patronage workers and you are paying big bucks for it. It is my opinion that we will probably get hit with a county tax increase in 2008. Do you want another four to eight years of the same political organization running our county government?

The chairman of council is also heading the election committee of the three Republican candidates, further proof that the same organization will control those candidates if they are elected.

Isn’t 32 years enough? Don’t we deserve to have the checks and balances in our local government that every other county enjoys in the state?

I am not saying replace all five Republicans on county council with five Democrats. But at least consider giving several Democrats a chance. It would be healthy to have a mix on council.

If you want to see change in our county starting in 2008, then please consider David Landau, Anne O’Keefe and John Innelli for county council in November.

ROCCO J. POLIDORO

Springfield
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