The week before Thanksgiving, Gov. Ed Rendell announced in Scranton a push for major reforms to the state’s campaign finance law, the way judges are chosen and the process for drawing congressional and legislative district boundaries. Since then, hardly a peep. However, Mr. Rendell’s chief spokesman says the governor has not abandoned his reform plans. Press secretary Gary Tuma blamed the holidays and the delay in enacting an expansion of casino gambling for diverting attention from reform. Mr. Tuma was unsure whether Mr. Rendell would include the reforms in his budget address next month, but said he will definitely pursue them before leaving office next January.
“He’s going to be talking about that,” Mr. Tuma said.
Mr. Rendell wants limits on contributions to state and local campaigns because Pennsylvania has none. He wants merit selection of appeals court judges to replace elections because voters know little about appeals court candidates. He would let counties decide whether to elect or appoint local judges.
He wants an independent panel of citizens to draw legislative and congressional district lines rather than leaving the process solely in the hands of state legislative leaders or their appointees. He believes, as many reformers do, that the leaders draw lines to ensure their re-election or favor their parties.
Similar ideas have gone nowhere in Harrisburg for decades. Mr. Rendell himself proposed reforms a couple of years ago.
This time, the governor is hoping to capitalize on public dissatisfaction with Harrisburg caused by the 101-day budget standoff last summer and the arrests of two dozen current and former lawmakers and legislative staffers.
“The chances of success on these three issues depends on whether we can get the citizens as riled up as they were about the (legislative) pay raise (in 2005),” Mr. Rendell said in November. “If we can, maybe we can persuade the Legislature.”
Drew Crompton, counsel to state Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati, R-25, Jefferson County, remembered the 2007 proposals, but has heard the governor mention the latest only in passing since November.
“I really don’t get the sense that the governor is compelled by these issues anyway,” he said.
Tags: Ed Rendell
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