Looks like they’re rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic today, by which I mean your lawmakers are picking leaders to steer your too-large, too-costly, under-investigation state House through its next round of scandals.

I don’t see anyone likely to win who’s likely to stir things up.

And this is the body of the infamous pay grab, the bonus disgrace, the ghost employees, the slush funds and the recent allegations of internal spying on itself.

Yet it seems to just plod along.

At 3 p.m., House Democrats meet behind closed doors to cast secret ballots for leadership posts for the next two-year session, starting in January.  read more »

House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese proclaimed his innocence Wednesday after his former chief of staff testified that DeWeese knew about $1.6 million in taxpayer-funded bonuses for House Democratic staffers who worked on political campaigns.

Bonusgate defendant Michael Manzo is ‘‘a desperate, disgruntled former employee whom I fired last year for dishonesty and self-dealing,’‘ DeWeese said in a prepared statement hours after Manzo’s testimony in Dauphin County Court.

Manzo and his wife, Rachel, a House aide, are among a dozen people who have been charged with illegally using tax money to further the Democrats’ election chances from 2004 to 2006. He was the star witness on the second day of a preliminary hearing for two of the defendants.  read more »

A majority of Pennsylvania voters say House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese shares some of the blame for the corruption and other problems in the Legislature and should give up his leadership post.

By 53 percent to 11 percent, Pennsylvanians believe DeWeese should step down, according to the Quinnipiac University poll of nearly 1,600 voters.

As a state grand jury investigation continues, House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese is urging voters to remember he hasn’t been accused of any crimes related to alleged widespread corruption in the Democratic Caucus he heads.

In his July campaign newsletter, DeWeese, D-Greene County, tells voters the “grand jury findings did not contain any information that Bill knew about the behavior.”

“It’s a consummate piece of damage control,” said Christopher Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown. He added: “There’s nothing I’ve seen tying him to the criminal activity, but the criminal activity took place under his nose.”  read more »

The embattled leader of Pennsylvania House Democrats says he has no plans of stepping down.

The state attorney general’s probe of whether legislative staffers were given bonuses for campaign work dominated a question and answer session during an appearance by state House Democratic Leader William DeWeese at the Pennsylvania Press Club. DeWeese was asked whether he’s given any thought to stepping down as leader, and what circumstances would make him consider it:

“No, I have not. In fact, I have not contemplated the second phase of the question. We’re working very aggressively on property taxes, and health care reform, and a smoke-free Pennsylvania and energy, and I’m looking forward to the next question.”  read more »