Christopher Wink » activism

Capitol feels bite of Pa. gadflies (Philadelphia Inquirer: 7/29/08)

Christopher Wink — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:52:23 +0000

By Christopher Wink | July 29, 2008 | Philadelphia Inquirer

HARRISBURG - They call themselves, simply, "the Coalition." They are an informal group of about a half-dozen citizen activists - most of them middle-aged men from Central Pennsylvania - who spend their time waging a grassroots war for governmental change in the Capitol. Each member of the group's cast of characters has his own political persuasion and priorities - not to mention colorful turns of phrase and memorable props to enliven the good-government message. But all are motivated by the same philosophy: State government needs fixing and elected officials aren't doing the job. "There is a cancer on the Capitol," said Gene Stilp, founder of Taxpayers and Ratepayers United and one of the more visible Coalition members. "The question is if it's incurable." Love them or hate them - and many hate them - this small group of activists has had a big impact on Harrisburg's political landscape. Since 2005, their work has helped push out a Supreme Court justice and almost a quarter of the legislature. Stilp is credited with prompting the 17-month probe into legislative bonuses that just this month led to a raft of political corruption charges against a dozen Harrisburg insiders. But who are these activists? And why do they spend so much of their time - usually without pay - to do what they do? Stilp, 58, is one of the higher-profile members of the Coalition, having run for lieutenant governor in 2005 promising to eradicate the position if elected. The former legislative aide is known for constructing oversize symbols that dramatize his causes. Memorably, there was the 25-foot pink pig he designed to illustrate what he considered the legislature's greediness for voting itself generous pay raises in 2005 without public debate.

A low-key approach

Where Stilp is about grand gestures, Tim Potts is more reserved. He says he's the only one with "experience in the belly of the beast," having served stints in the executive branch and as a press secretary to the House's top Democrat. Potts, 59, helped launch a public-interest group called Democracy Rising PA in 2004, a response to the late-night vote to approve slots gambling. On his right ring finger is a reminder of why he does what he does - the Army Air Force ring of an uncle, a pilot killed in World War II. "My mother once told me, 'You're doing what he died for,' " Potts said. Eric Epstein, another Coalition member, put it this way: "We want people to be disturbed. . . . But we want them to know democracy is resilient." Epstein is perhaps the most irreverent of the group. He might hug you. Or give you a fist pound. Or tell an off-color joke. That facade in many ways belies his involvement as a safe-energy advocate and coauthor of the 1997 Dictionary of the Holocaust. Still, Epstein takes pride in frustrating politicians. Last July, after Epstein accused Rendell of acting as though he had "a mandate to pillage," Rendell told The Inquirer that Epstein "is about as mentally stable as that guy who ate all those people."

'Ideology aside'

Chris Lilik is the Coalition's political balance. At 28, the baby-faced law school graduate is the youngest of the group and the president of Young Conservatives of Pennsylvania. Unlike the others, he is open about his political affiliation, although that hasn't stopped him from taking aim at his own. "We set our everyday ideology aside and find commonsense solutions that we agree on," said Russ Diamond, another member, former independent gubernatorial candidate, and founder of PA CleanSweep, which fielded more than 100 legislative candidates in 2006. The Coalition holds joint news conferences lambasting legislators its members consider enemies of their movement. They agree on some issues, like fielding a state constitutional convention, changing the way legislative districts are mapped, and eliminating all government bonuses. The legislature has taken notice because of the Coalition's creativity in attracting media attention and its ability to recruit and fund potential challengers. Its members make themselves available to reporters and are well-known for their quotability, amplifying the influence of their relatively small organizations. Still, Christopher Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College, said critics could take issue with whether the activists truly spoke for the public. "Government officials have formal power, so technically they are accountable to us, the people," he said. "So who are the reformers accountable to?" Added Rendell's spokesman, Chuck Ardo: "They often allow their stunts to overshadow the substance."

Big goals, small scale

All their operations are small-time. Stilp and Epstein are one-man shows. Lilik lays claim to more than 1,000 household donors but is the only full-time staff member. Democracy Rising PA has a board of directors, but Potts runs the group from his basement and has no other staff beyond occasional part-time administrative assistance. PA CleanSweep boasts 5,000 subscribers to its e-mail newsletter, but Diamond said he fronts the movement. "You have to accept the fact that your life is going to be disrupted," said Epstein. "Some people play golf, they crochet, they make scrapbooks. We try to restore the credibility of government." Epstein doesn't support himself with activism, but through investments, writing, lecturing and consulting. "I do three things," Epstein said. "Work, sleep and ferment revolution." Likewise, Stilp, who does consulting, says he keeps his professional work separate from his advocacy work. Lilik is a paid staffer of Young Conservatives of Pennsylvania. Potts receives varying monthly stipends from Democracy Rising, but mostly depends on his wife. Diamond owns a CD- and DVD-duplication business that provides income - and free time. "I just see myself as a kind of a regular guy who wants a better Pennsylvania," Diamond said. "No kids, no wife, no mortgage. That frees me up to do a lot of things." And the activists have been busy since the bonus scandal broke. Yesterday, about a dozen women in evening gowns, tiaras and sashes emblazoned with messages urging change walked the tiled floor of the Capitol rotunda. They were part of a mock beauty pageant called Miss Legislative Reform 2008, organized by Stilp. The faux pageant was inspired by the bonus investigation, which alleged that a top aide gave a largely no-work job to a local beauty queen with whom he had a sexual relationship. "It's gotten attention for its craziness, and that's what I operate in. If it's necessary to jump out of a plane in a parachute and land in the fountain out back, why not?" Stilp said. "You have to be multitalented. You have to be dedicated. You have to get angry . . . because you're trying to change things for the better." See it here on Philly.com. The coverage was part of a post-graduate internship with the Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents’ Association (PLCA).

Legislator beset by reform movement (Philadelphia Inquirer: 7/22/08)

Christopher Wink — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:52:23 +0000

By Christopher Wink | July 29, 2008 | Philadelphia Inquirer

A low-key approach

'Ideology aside'

Big goals, small scale

Legislator beset by reform movement (Philadelphia Inquirer: 7/22/08)

Christopher Wink — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:52:23 +0000

By Christopher Wink | July 29, 2008 | Philadelphia Inquirer

A low-key approach

'Ideology aside'

Big goals, small scale

Christopher Wink » activism

Christopher Wink — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:52:23 +0000

By Christopher Wink | July 29, 2008 | Philadelphia Inquirer

A low-key approach

'Ideology aside'

Big goals, small scale

Legislator beset by reform movement (Philadelphia Inquirer: 7/22/08)

Christopher Wink — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:56:42 +0000

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell signs legislation on reforming state laws on lobbying and gaming, as Rep. Babette Josephs D-Philadelphia, looks on in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

By Christopher Wink | July 22, 2008 | Philadelphia Inquirer

HARRISBURG - State Rep. Babette Josephs came to the Capitol in 1985 vowing to be a voice for "people who have no voice." For years, the Center City liberal waged a lonely fight against the pervading conservatism in the General Assembly. In 2007, after Democrats took control of the House, Josephs ascended to a powerful new role: chairwoman of the State Government Committee, the panel charged with considering legislation related to government operations. But Josephs, 67, now finds herself the scourge of the newly energized reform movement. Reform advocates, their cause rejuvenated with the indictments of 12 Harrisburg insiders in a recent bonus scandal, say Josephs is holding back a wave of change that could restore public faith in the legislature. Among the stalled bills are measures that would post all government staff salaries online and trim the size of the General Assembly. One activist likened her to Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Greek mythology. Another dubbed her "a reform mortician." "Her State Government Committee is where reform bills go to die," said Eric Epstein, coordinator of RockTheCapital.org, a Harrisburg public-interest group. Josephs, the only female committee chair in the House, defended her handling of legislation, saying that not all of the bills constituted "reform" and that others needed more work. "Just because somebody or some group says something is reform doesn't mean it is so," she said in an interview. In October, the Republican-controlled state Senate passed a bill, 48-0, that would ban all government bonuses for state workers. It has sat in Josephs' committee untouched ever since. Sen. John Eichelberger (R., Blair), the sponsor, accused Josephs of playing games with his bill and others. Josephs "can derail a bill or silence a bill that no one ever hears about," Eichelberger said. "It's just dead. These games are very harmful for the process." Josephs said Eichelberger's bill did not go far enough because it allowed some bonuses to continue. Josephs is seeking cosponsors for a bonus-ban bill that deals with issues not addressed by Eichelberger's bill, said Rodney Oliver, executive director of the State Government Committee. Oliver said Josephs hoped to call a special committee meeting this summer to vote out the bill and send it to the floor by the time the full House returns in September. Nevertheless, two leading Senate Republicans sent a letter to House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese (D., Greene) last week outlining seven bills that have stalled in the House, five of which are in Josephs' hands. Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati (R., Jefferson) and Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R., Delaware) cited Eichelberger's legislation in addition to bills that would require online mileage logs for state vehicles, online governmental-salary information, increased penalties for violating the Sunshine Law, and disclosure of state-funded advertising. All five passed the Senate unanimously. "The appropriate thing then would be to report them out of committee, amended or improved. Not let them sit," Pileggi said. Another reform issue that Josephs has taken flak for holding up would address the state's partisan legislative redistricting system and replace it with an independent panel. Josephs has said that she is not against changing the system but that she has not yet seen legislation that would create a fair and transparent system. Now, any chance to enact legislation in time for the 2010 census, when redistricting could take place, has passed. "In Pennsylvania, we've been electing people for three centuries," Josephs said. "We can wait 10 years to do it right." Josephs' defenders say she wants to ensure that only well-crafted bills moved to the House floor. "She would rather report out a good bill than report out a bill," said Larry Frankel, a Josephs constituent and ACLU lobbyist. "If someone raised a legitimate concern . . . she would want to hear it." Matthew Brouillette, president of the Commonwealth Foundation, a Harrisburg-based conservative think tank, suggested that Josephs and DeWeese - who as caucus leader is the focus of a torrent of criticism in the bonus scandal - were working together to impede reform. Brouillette contended Josephs was like Cerberus "guarding the river Styx" of reform. But Josephs, who is the longest-serving woman in the House, countered that Republicans never passed reform bills when they controlled both chambers of the legislature and the executive office. She said her committee has endorsed "enormous, much more important legislation." Josephs pointed to bills, which were approved by the committee but have not become law, that would require more disclosure for campaign-expense reporting, end lame-duck sessions, and prohibit state investment in countries that sponsor terrorism or genocide. Still, the slow pace of reform is almost certain to emerge as a central issue in the General Assembly and Josephs' campaign this fall. Her Republican opponent, Philadelphia lawyer Wally Zimolong, has made it the central plank in his platform. "She's on the wrong side of every reform-based issue," Zimolong said. "It's not about liberal or conservative. This is about good government." See it on Philly.com.