By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA Staff Writer
roarty@politicspa.com

Dave Argall’s support for the infamous 2005 legislative pay-raise gave Democrats an easy target when he declared his congressional candidacy.

Did it also give them a built-in opposition research team?

Just weeks into the Republican state senator’s campaign against Democratic incumbent Tim Holden, a small but active group of citizen-reformers have made it clear they will hinder Argall’s candidacy until November because he helped engineer the pay hike. At the time, Argall was a member of House Republican leadership.

The latest example came Tuesday, when Eric Epstein, founder of the government-reform group RockTheCapital, issued a press release saying Argall received $10,200 in “per-diem” payments from March to September of last year. Lawmakers receive the payments when they attend a session or committee meeting in the Capitol.

The extra payments looked particularly bad last year, when lawmakers approved a budget 101 days late after grappling with a $3.2 billion revenue shortfall.

“There he goes again,” Epstein said in a statement. “Mr. Argall has a history of abusing per diems. Unfortunately for the taxpayer, there is absolutely no accountability built into the system. It’s obscene to be rewarded for not getting the budget done.”

Argall’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Epstein’s criticism came after another well-known reform activist in Harrisburg, Gene Stilp, followed Argall to each of his six campaign stops when he declared his campaign. Stilp brought along his signature prop, an inflatable pink pig the size of a small bus. It’s meant to symbolize legislative greed.

In separate interviews, each man made said their early criticism of Argall is only the start.

“Our mission is to track people in the pay-raise,” said Epstein, who called Argall a “crass opportunist.”

Voters in the 17^th District unfamiliar with Argall need to know his record, Stilp said.

“We have to take the opportunity to confront this guy when he shows up,” he said. “It’s like playing whack-a-mole.”

Epstein and Stilp are two of a group of reformers who emerged following the pay raise, a now-infamous event in Pennsylvania political history that led to the defeat of Republican leaders in the Senate and the departure of 50 House lawmakers. They remain a regular presence in the media and around the Capitol, where they are disliked by many officials.

Their opposition could be helpful to Holden and the Democrats, who can sit back and watch Argall be criticized while not going negative themselves. The DCCC highlighted Epstein’s remarks in a press release of its own Tuesday night.

That help could be critical: the race between Holden and Argall is expected to be heated, with the state senator potentially threatening the congressman’s traditional base of support in Schuylkill County. The 17^th District, which leans to the right, also might be hostile to a Democratic incumbent, even though Holden has called himself a moderate, “Blue Dog” Democrat.

Argall has said he regrets his decision to vote for the pay raise and adds he donated all the money to charity. He said during his official announcement that voters care more about his proposal to create jobs than a vote in 2005 and described Stilp as a disgruntled former political opponent.

Stilp and Epstein emphasized they campaign against anyone involved in legislative corruption, regardless of party.

Stilp, in fact, is scheduled Thursday to visit the district of former House Democratic leader Bill DeWeese, demanding the now-indicted lawmaker not seek re-election.

Epstein, who is a registered Democrat, said his group is non-partisan. He cited the fact he planned to re-file an ethics complaint against Democratic Senate Minority Leader Bob Mellow next week.

“When you enrich yourself at the expense of the taxpayer,” he said, “then you become the subject or target of our investigation.”