Freshman Make a Difference
Jul 9th, 2007 by JamieB
As the following excerpts from a recent article by Tracie Mauriello of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette make clear, (1) the voters spoke audibly for reform last November, (2) at least some of the legislators – particularly the new ones who ran on the issues – heard them, and (3) the result has been some movement in Harrisburg. It is important, particularly as the legislators break for summer vacation, that we keep that momentum going.
Freshman legislative reformers didn’t get it all, but left a mark
They arrived here five months ago with ambitious ideas to reform state government but little sense of how slowly the legislative wheels turn.
They carried maps of the Capitol and directories with photos to help them recognize legislative leaders.
They are the 50 freshmen in the state House of Representatives.
Outsiders claimed the newbies were naive to think they could affect change in an atmosphere where a handful of senior lawmakers wield the vast bulk of power and cloak themselves in traditional ways that leave newcomers in the dark.
Now, though, an unusual combination of factors have converged to make it possible for freshmen such as Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-South Union, to advance policies that could change the way business is conducted in a statehouse steeped in tradition.
The newcomers didn’t get all they wanted . . . but they helped push through other significant changes and made reform the watchword in the Capitol.
For example, legislation that Mr. Mahoney drafted before taking office in January was the basis for a recommendation by the House Speaker’s Reform Commission this week to revamp the state’s Right-to-Know law.
Capitol pundits such as G. Terry Madonna say the freshmen are having unprecedented influence in Harrisburg – that’s relative. Previous freshmen had almost none.
Still, these freshmen have been able to make headway on a few of the issues they raised during campaign season, when they ran on reform platforms.
“This freshman class has had an immense impact on the prevailing mood in Harrisburg. They changed the debate,” said activist Eric Epstein of the Harrisburg watchdog group Rock the Capital.
“Although [lawmakers] haven’t achieved a lot of reform, that’s all they talk about. The freshmen have changed the conversation,” he said. “Reform is on the table.”
The best evidence of that came through the reform commission’s work over the last five months.
The mere presence of four freshmen on the committee was a constant reminder that Pennsylvanians are demanding change in Harrisburg and are willing to oust lawmakers who don’t bring it, said Rep. Michael Vereb, R-Montgomery, who was one of them.
Lawmakers had little interest in reform until they saw dozens of colleagues, including three of state government’s most powerful leaders, get booted out of office in 2006 and replaced by newcomers with backgrounds in manufacturing and mining, not law and politics.
The message veterans got from voters provided the real motivation for reform, Mr. Madonna said. It helps that it has bolstered the resolve of green freshmen who want to make a difference.
“Voter anger over the pay hike, the number of legislators who lost and the fact that many of them were leaders all created this environment that makes change possible,” Mr. Madonna said.