Frank X. Custer
Candidate for Pennsylvania State Representative, 61st District
Blog
News Release: Harrisburg reform begins November 4th
CUSTER: HARRISBURG REFORM BEGINS NOV. 4
Upper Gwynedd, PA (October 16, 2008) – Frank X. Custer, the Democratic candidate for the 61st state legislative district seat, today said that if Harrisburg is to be reformed, it must start on November 4 – election day.
"There is no doubt Harrisburg needs to be reformed, but it will not be reformed if voters keep returning those legislators who want things to stay the way they are," Custer said. He pointed to his opponent, State Rep. Kate Harper, as one of those legislators that have consistently resisted and derided reform efforts.
Custer said the so-called “Bonusgate” scandal that hit Harrisburg this past summer is just a symptom of what is wrong with Harrisburg.
“There is an environment of entitlement and arrogance in Harrisburg that must be changed, and that change will not happen until those who want to reform our state government outnumber those who want to retain the status quo.
“Ms. Harper is one of those who want to maintain the status quo,” Custer charged.
He listed several examples of Harper’s resistance to reform and her support of the status quo:
- Harper voted to gut a bill that would have strengthened the House Ethics Committee by randomly selecting its members as opposed to having them handpicked by House leadership that has a vested interest in a toothless committee.
- When defending her vote, Harper dismissed reform efforts with the following quote: “The cause of reform is so well-liked by the press that if the cafeteria offered a sandwich made of dead skunk called ‘reform du jour’, we’d all probably order it and eat it.”
- Newspapers across the state ridiculed Harper for her comments and the Scranton Times lampooned the comments in an editorial cartoon. The Times said: “As long as Ms. Harper and her colleagues view reforms as being akin to a ‘skunk sandwich’, Pennsylvanians will have to continue to put up a stink over their bloated, self-indulgent and unresponsive Legislature.”
- When advocates of reform called for a special legislative session this fall to deal with reform measures, Harper ridiculed the move.
- When the “Open Records Act”, the most significant piece of reform legislation passed in Harrisburg in years, came up for a final vote, Harper skipped the vote and was back in Montgomery County tending to her tax-payer funded municipal law practice.
- Harper voted for and defended the infamous
- Despite staying past
Custer said when he is elected he will enthusiastically join with reform-minded legislators to make meaningful changes to the way business is conducted in
He pointed to his pledge made after the “bonusgate” revelations to not vote for Democratic leader Bill DeWeese should he run for leadership next year.
“Bonusgate sickened me,” Custer said. “Taxpayer dollars should not be used for partisan political activities, and whether Bill DeWeese was involved or not, it happened on his watch, and that is not the type of leadership we need.”
Custer admitted that his stand could cause him problems with certain legislators when he takes office in January, but he said, “at least I’ll be able to look myself in the mirror.”
On the other hand, when Custer criticized Harper for missing votes to do her legal work, she said her second job provided her with the “integrity” to stand up to her leadership.
“If you don’t have the integrity and courage to make tough decisions and cast tough votes, you are part of the problem, not the solution,” Custer said.
Custer said he would push for many legislative reforms when elected including:
- More transparency in government
- Campaign finance reform
- Random selection of members to the ethics committee
- A non-partisan approach to redistricting House and Senate seats
- Eliminating costly legislative perks
- Eliminating the slush funds controlled by legislative leaders, and redirecting those dollars to education, health care or property tax relief
