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Commissioners to look at ban of ‘pay-to-play’ money
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SUNBURY — County Commissioner Vinny Clausi wants to eliminate “pay-to-play” political contributions across the board in county government, ending what he characterized as decades-long corruption.
Commissioner Kurt Masser, while extending his full support, warned against making sweeping generalizations when it comes to the issue.
“I’d like to see reform in Northumberland County,” Clausi said at Tuesday’s commissioners meeting. He called for a resolution making it illegal for a vendor that has contributed to any elected county row office to receive a contract with the county. County Solicitor Hugh Jones will begin researching the feasibility and legality of such a resolution.
The freshman commissioner’s research into the issue has uncovered evidence of the practice for the last 30 to 40 years, Clausi said,
though he later declined to give specific examples.
“It’s a great idea as long as it’s for everybody,” Masser said. Chairman Frank Sawicki agreed, saying that it was important to make certain the county could legally enact such a resolution.
However, Masser took exception at Tuesday’s meeting to Clausi’s claims that the pay-to-play corruption has been ongoing for the past three to four decades.
“To say it’s been going on for the past 30 to 40 years throws me onto the heap,” Masser said. “My campaign reports are open to everybody ... I take offense to that. Go back through the donors. There are many who no longer do business with Northumberland County.”
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to offend you,” Clausi said, adding that he wasn’t pointing the finger specifically at Masser’s campaign or administration. Clausi’s research proved the existence of pay-to-play, the freshman commissioner insisted, as well as pressure to donate being applied to certain county employees. Once again, Clausi refused to divulge names.
‘Shell game’
There are “gaps” in the system that can be exploited, Masser said. Any pay-to-play resolution must be specific to close any and all loopholes, he added after the meeting. The Republican commissioner pointed out “Victory ‘99” during the meeting, summoning the specter of the Cwalina-Lewis administration.
The campaign committee, ostensibly established to donate money to a variety of candidates during that year’s election, was little more than a “shell game,” according to Masser.
“People actually knew where (the money) was going,” Masser said, “to get (then-Commissioners Allen Cwalina and Charles “Chap” Lewis) re-elected.” The county can’t hope to “close the loopholes by just generally painting a resolution,” he said.
The issue of political contributions received considerable attention at the last commissioners meeting when Clausi verbally sparred for a second time with Amanda Kessler, chief executive officer and general counsel for Synergy Health Systems Inc., of Northumberland.
Kessler, still smarting from being denied a shot at the county’s pharmaceutical contract at Mountain View Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, jabbed Clausi over his refusal to bid out the deal. After noting that Kessler herself had made a contribution to the Masser-Deitrick campaign, Clausi vowed to never vote to award a contract to any vendor with a history of campaign contributions.
Examination
In his investigation into the possible resolution, Jones said he’ll be examining a pay-to-play resolution in Philadelphia county, the only first-class county in the commonwealth to have one in place. There are constitutional questions to answer, Jones said.
Group contributions are illegal in Pennsylvania, Jones pointed out after the meeting. But the question remains: How do you bar an individual from making one? Something Masser noted himself.
Right now, though, the solicitor couldn’t really comment on how such a resolution might play out; the project was just entering the research phase.
“If it’s something we feel we can do, we’ll propose action,” Jones said.
Commissioner Kurt Masser, while extending his full support, warned against making sweeping generalizations when it comes to the issue.
“I’d like to see reform in Northumberland County,” Clausi said at Tuesday’s commissioners meeting. He called for a resolution making it illegal for a vendor that has contributed to any elected county row office to receive a contract with the county. County Solicitor Hugh Jones will begin researching the feasibility and legality of such a resolution.
The freshman commissioner’s research into the issue has uncovered evidence of the practice for the last 30 to 40 years, Clausi said,
though he later declined to give specific examples.
“It’s a great idea as long as it’s for everybody,” Masser said. Chairman Frank Sawicki agreed, saying that it was important to make certain the county could legally enact such a resolution.
However, Masser took exception at Tuesday’s meeting to Clausi’s claims that the pay-to-play corruption has been ongoing for the past three to four decades.
“To say it’s been going on for the past 30 to 40 years throws me onto the heap,” Masser said. “My campaign reports are open to everybody ... I take offense to that. Go back through the donors. There are many who no longer do business with Northumberland County.”
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to offend you,” Clausi said, adding that he wasn’t pointing the finger specifically at Masser’s campaign or administration. Clausi’s research proved the existence of pay-to-play, the freshman commissioner insisted, as well as pressure to donate being applied to certain county employees. Once again, Clausi refused to divulge names.
‘Shell game’
There are “gaps” in the system that can be exploited, Masser said. Any pay-to-play resolution must be specific to close any and all loopholes, he added after the meeting. The Republican commissioner pointed out “Victory ‘99” during the meeting, summoning the specter of the Cwalina-Lewis administration.
The campaign committee, ostensibly established to donate money to a variety of candidates during that year’s election, was little more than a “shell game,” according to Masser.
“People actually knew where (the money) was going,” Masser said, “to get (then-Commissioners Allen Cwalina and Charles “Chap” Lewis) re-elected.” The county can’t hope to “close the loopholes by just generally painting a resolution,” he said.
The issue of political contributions received considerable attention at the last commissioners meeting when Clausi verbally sparred for a second time with Amanda Kessler, chief executive officer and general counsel for Synergy Health Systems Inc., of Northumberland.
Kessler, still smarting from being denied a shot at the county’s pharmaceutical contract at Mountain View Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, jabbed Clausi over his refusal to bid out the deal. After noting that Kessler herself had made a contribution to the Masser-Deitrick campaign, Clausi vowed to never vote to award a contract to any vendor with a history of campaign contributions.
Examination
In his investigation into the possible resolution, Jones said he’ll be examining a pay-to-play resolution in Philadelphia county, the only first-class county in the commonwealth to have one in place. There are constitutional questions to answer, Jones said.
Group contributions are illegal in Pennsylvania, Jones pointed out after the meeting. But the question remains: How do you bar an individual from making one? Something Masser noted himself.
Right now, though, the solicitor couldn’t really comment on how such a resolution might play out; the project was just entering the research phase.
“If it’s something we feel we can do, we’ll propose action,” Jones said.
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