Dear Friend,

Turnpike Commission: a Bastion for PoliticalPatronage, Corruption

As a lifelong residentof the 150th LegislativeDistrict, I am honored torepresent a communitywith such strong valuesand convictions. Servingin the Pennsylvania Houseof Representatives is a roleand responsibility that I takeseriously. I am committedo fighting for the issueshat affect the people of Montgomery County.My staff and I are hereo serve you. We offer avariety of services, includinghelp with PennDOT issues,information and applicationsabout student ﬁnancial aidand senior citizen programs,and copies of state mapsand other publications. Feelfree to contact us with anystate-related questions or concerns.

Sincerely,Michael A. Vereb

Winter 2010

Rep. Mike Vereb unveils his legislation eliminating the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission at a press conference on Dec. 8. His legislation shiftsthe oversight and maintenance of the turnpiketo PennDOT, helping to lessen the stigma of political patronage and corruption and bring moreaccountability to the management of the turnpike.Pictured from left: Reps. Scott Hutchinson (R-Venango/Butler), Matt Gabler (R-Clearﬁeld/Elk),Vereb, Donna Oberlander (R-Clarion/Armstrong)and Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny).

.S. POSTAGEAIDARRISBURG, PAERMIT NO. 529

n an effort to lessen the stigma of political patronageand corruption and bring more accountability to themanagement of the turnpike, I have introduced House Bill2134, which will give oversight and management of theturnpike to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation(PennDOT).e need to put anend to the backroompolitics-as-usual mentalityand the public perceptionthat all state governmentis corrupt. I came intooffice three years ago ona reform platform, and Iwill continue to fight for more transparency andaccountability in stategovernment. The fact thatthe Turnpike Commissionis widely known as a pitof political patronage is acompletely unacceptablereputation for any stategovernment agency.Under my legislation,the responsibility anddaily management of the turnpike will go toa deputy secretary of toll administration under PennDOT. To alleviatethe potential for politicalpatronage, candidatesfor the deputy secretaryposition would be requiredto have a civil engineering degree and at least 10 years’experience designing and building highways.Over the past year, the Turnpike Commission has beenshrouded in a cloud of corruption and scandal. Recentreports have confirmed that a state grand jury is investigatingthe Turnpike Commission’s awarding of contracts. Thecommission is currently under investigation for pay-to-play contracts, including a construction project costingmore than $170 million in the Valley Forge area that wasoriginally bid at $90 million. Other reports of unprofessionalconduct include former Turnpike Commission ChairmanMitchell Rubin. During the public corruption trial involvingformer Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia), it was revealedthat Rubin had a contract with the state and did little tono work for the salary received. Rubin, a personal friend of umo’s, was eventuallyemoved from theosition after Fumoas found guilty.he organizationaletup of theommission has led ton agency that is topeavy, with too manyanagers directingew employees. Toompare, PennDOT isun by seven executivesnd manages morehan 41,000 miles of oadway. That equalsne executive for every,857 miles of stateoadway. The Turnpikeommission is run byine executives and isn charge of 545 milesf roadway. That equalsne executive for every0 miles of roadwayn the turnpike.lso, PennDOT usesnternal staff to act asovernment liaisonsith the GeneralAssembly, whereas the Turnpike Commission hirescontract lobbyists at significant cost.My legislation will only cut upper tier managementpositions; all other turnpike jobs will remain intact.The Turnpike Commission is an outdated andantiquated agency. There is absolutely no reason whywe should have two government organizations dealingwith transportation issues. The common goal of improvingPennsylvania’s transportation networks can be done

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Table Games Expansion Will NotBring More Property Tax Relief

This past January, legislation expanding Pennsylvania’s gam-ing industry to include table games was signed into law. While notan outright opponent of the legalization and expansion of gaming,here were multiple problems with this legislation, which is why Ivoted against it.The number one reason why I didn’t vote for the table gamesexpansion is the fact that it will not bring significant property tax relief o my constituents or anyone else living in the Commonwealth. Whengaming was first legalized in 2004, it was allegedly done so to usegaming revenues to bring meaningful property tax relief to the peopleof Pennsylvania. More than five years later, Pennsylvania residentshave yet to see any real relief. Anyone who voted for the table gameslegislation under the guise of bringing more property tax relief wasdisingenuous at best. Also, this legislation did noteven address several much-needed gaming reforms. Sincemy election to the House of Representatives in 2006, Ihave called for common-sensereforms that would help bringintegrity and lift the cloud of suspicion that currently over-shadows Pennsylvania’s gam-ing industry. Since the enact-ment of the original slots law,here has been report after report of the corruption andscandal associated with thisindustry. I have consistentlypushed for all investigationsand background checks to beput under the jurisdiction of the state police and attorney general.he legislation, as enacted, doesn’t even scratch the surface in termsof the reforms that need to be enacted. This was our opportunityo fix the flaws in the original slots bill, but instead, a majority of themembers of the General Assembly chose to turn a blind eye andvote in favor of legislation that bends to the wants of the gamingindustry, rather than to the needs of the people that we are electedo represent. I refuse to vote for legislation that bends to the wantsof gaming interests and doesn’t fix any of the flaws associated withhe original gaming law. Another reason why I voted against this legislation has to do witha section of the table games bill that enables the PGCB to extend acasino licensee’s deadlines. This section of the law appears to bewritten directly for the license holders of the proposed FoxwoodsCasino in Philadelphia. Foxwoods has yet to start construction andhas continually ignored deadlines set forth by the board. This type of behavior is absolutely ridiculous, and it is unbelievable that lawmakers,bending to the will of outside gaming interests, would add languageinto the table games expansion law that gives this licensee preferentialtreatment. It’s unreasonable that Foxwoods has been able to drag itsfeet while other casinos throughout the state have been operationalfor awhile now.Fortunately, Foxwoods did not receive the deadline extension for which it was hoping. While legally allowed to extend deadlines under the expansion legislation, thePGCB decided that Foxwoodshad postponed constructionand ignored its deadlines longenough. While I have oftenbeen a vocal critic of the PGCB,I fully support the board’s deci-sion to deny Foxwoods’ requestor an extension for its proposedPhiladelphia casino project ando fine the company $2,000 per day, retroactive to Dec. 1, 2009,until the company complies withhe submission requirementsset forth by the board. I fullysupport the board for putting itsoot down and demanding thatFoxwoods get its act together and make good on the deadlinesset y te oar. ere s st a coud of suspicion as to who addedlanguage into the table games law that enables the board to extendthe deadlines of licensees, which seemed to give preferential treat-ment to Foxwoods’ request for an extension. However, the boardstepped up to the plate and sided with what’s best for Pennsylvania,not special gaming interests.I believe that there is much work to be done to fix the multipleproblems with Pennsylvania’s gaming industry. I will continue tofight for much-needed reforms in order to bring more integrity to thestate’s gaming industry and more property tax relief to the people of Pennsylvania.

On Jan. 27, the Fraternal Order of Police’s Philadel- phia Lodge 5 honored Rep. Mike Vereb for his exem- plary efforts in supporting Philadelphia Police Lodge 5 and their legislative agenda that will help police ofﬁcersstatewide. Pictured from left: John McNesby, presi-dent of Lodge 5; Vereb and Gene Blagmond

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Turnpike Commission:a Bastion for PoliticalPatronage, Corruption

: RepVereb.com

Applications Now Availablefor Property Tax/Rent Rebate

Last June, Rep. Mike Vereb hosted a community shredder event. In an effort to prevent identity theft, residents wereinvited to bring unwanted papers to be shredded and re-cycled. Turnout for the event was overwhelming, with a lineof vehicles ﬁlling the street. At the end of the event, 7,000 pounds of paper were shredded.

Community Shredder Event

UPCOMING DISTRICT EVENTS

Saturday, April 24, at the West Norriton Township Building.This event is a wonderful opportunity for local residents toguard themselves against identity theft. Documents that containsensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, medi-cal information or bank account numbers should be thoroughlyshredded before disposal.I encourage all residents of the 150th Legislative District tobring any unwanted papers to be shredded and recycled.In order to accommodate as many constituents as possible, Iask that businesses please refrain from bringing their paperworkto shred.The event will last from 9 a.m. to noon. The West NorritonTownship building is located at 1630 West Marshall Street inJeffersonville.

Fourth Annual Family Fun/Safety Day

Rep. Vereb will host his annual Family Fun/Safety Day inJune at the Pit Stop on Germantown Pike. The event will lastrom 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Please check his Web site, RepVereb.com, for more information on this fun-ﬁlled night of go-kart rides,miniature golf and much more.

On Feb. 9, Rep. Mike Vereb met with Pennsyl-vania State Police Colonel Frank Pawlowski and Rep. Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery) to discussthe state budget and proposed funding for thestate police.

Women’s Expo

Rep. Vereb will host a Women’s Expo in July. Please check his Website, RepVereb.com, for more information.

Senior Expo

Rep. Vereb will host a Senior Expo in September. Please check hiseb site, RepVereb.com, for more information.** FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE AND OTHER EVENTS, PLEASE VISIT MY WEB SITE AT

REPVEREB.COM

AND CLICK ON THEUPCOMING DISTRICT EVENTS BUTTON.

State Police Funding