Mike Veon

Independent candidate Jay Paisley's chance at earning a spot on November's ballot will likely come down to Friday's deadline.

The former Democrat, who is challenging Republican Elder Vogel and Democrat Sean Ramaley in the 47th Senatorial District, told PolitickerPA.com he has collected 1,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon -- half the number needed to be put on the ticket. About 60 of his volunteers will continue scouring for signatures until Friday morning if necessary, Paisley said.

He gave himself about a 55 percent chance of success.

"But if we don't," he said, "the honest to goodness reason is we just ran out of time."

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Every day this week, PolitickerPA.com will publish an allegation from the "Bonusgate" presentment released Thursday by Attorney General Tom Corbett. Although the indictments have received intense scrutiny, many interesting stories within the voluminous presentment have still gone unreported.

PolitickerPA.com reminds readers these are still only allegations, and each person implicated is still innocent until proven guilty.

Taxpayers were holding the bill for weekly post-basketball dinners held by members of the House Democratic Caucus, according to Attorney General Tom Corbett's 73-page presentment.

Caucus member Karen Steiner testified former House Minority Whip Mike Veon (D-Beaver County) and other House Democrats from 2002 to 2006 would regularly play basketball Tuesday night before retreating to Veon's office for dinner, page 72 of the presentment says. Steiner and Melissa Lewis would take food orders from the players, order and purchase it, and then have it ready for the players when they returned, it alleges.

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Every morning this week, PolitickerPA.com will publish an allegation from the "Bonusgate" presentment released Thursday by Attorney General Tom Corbett. Although the indictments have received intense scrutiny, many interesting stories within the voluminous presentment have still gone unreported.

PolitickerPA.com reminds readers these are still only allegations, and each person implicated is still innocent until proven guilty.

Opposition research was such a major effort within the House Democratic Caucus that much of an entire legislative office was dedicated to it, Attorney General Tom Corbett alleges in his presentment.

In early 2005, Eric Webb, newly appointed director of Office of Member Services, sent a memo to Minority Whip Mike Veon (D-Beaver County) and former Bill DeWeese chief of staff Mike Manzo detailing his plan to centralize all opposition research in his new office, according to page 50 of the presentment.

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Gov. Ed Rendell delivers opening remarks at the NGA meeting with Gov. Tim Pawlenty, left, and Mayor Michael Nutter, rightPHILADELPHIA -- After his brief opening remarks kicked off this weekend's centennial meeting of the National Governors Association here Friday, PolitickerPA.com caught up with Gov. Ed Rendell for a brief interview on the famous Art Museum steps.

Rendell is poised to assume leadership of the NGA this weekend from current chair Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.

In his opening remarks, he thanks the NGA for choosing Philadelphia, and made sure to point out the scenery of the steps, where Sylverster Stalone's "Rocky" famously trained in the movie.

"You're welcome to try it; there's no liability to the city or the state if anyting happens going up the stairs," he cracked, "but you're welcome to try it."

Here is PolitickerPA.com's interview with Rendell.

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Former House Minority Whip Mike Veon (D-Beaver County) is led to his arraignment in handcuffs.: Politicker Photo

HARRISBURG -- Eleven of the House Democratic Caucus members implicated Thursday in "Bonusgate" arrived Friday morning at Magisterial District Judge Joseph Solomon's office across the street from the Susquehanna River.

They were in handcuffs.

That was perhaps the most surprising aspect, and certainly most jarring visual, of an otherwise typical series of arraignments, at least as typical as it gets the day after Attorney General Tom Corbett revealed one of the biggest scandals in Pennsylvania political history.

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This week we have a special Bonusgate edition of Winners and Losers.

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Former aide to Minority Whip Mike Veon (D-Beaver County) Brett Cott was led inside the judge's office this morning: Politicker Photo

 

UPDATE, 10:00 a.m.: Judge Solomon has cut Veon's bail in half, from $100,000 to $50,000.

Veon's attorney today, Jeff Belardi, asked the judge to make the reduction in light of his client's crime-free history and because his crime did was not violent and had "no individual or direct victim."

Deputy Attorney General James Reeder countered that "our very democracy was the victim in this case." He also said Veon has been charged with a first degree felony when he was a 19-year-old in Mercer County, a charge later reduced to a summary offense.

Solomon said most people have had some kind of "youthful indiscretion" in their past, and he added that every other lawmaker he's dealt with has been trustworthy.

Also, Mike Manzo's attorney, Jim Eisenhower, appeared in court, and told the press gathered his client, former chief of staff to House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese (D-Greene County), is not guilty.

"I'm very confident Mike will be vindicated," he said.

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UPDATE, 8:50 a.m.: Stephen Keefer was just led inside Solomon's office. Like Cott, he did not comment.

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Brett Cott, former aide to Minority Whip Mike Veon, was led inside at 8:30 a.m. Friday morning, escorted in handcuffs by two officers from the attorney general.

Cott declined to answer any question from the amrada of reporters waiting outside Solomon's office.

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UPDATED | HARRISBURG -- The first phase of "Bonusgate" charges have been filed against 12 suspects, including former Minority Whip Mike Veon; Mike Manzo, former chief of staff to Bill DeWeese; and state Rep. Sean Ramaley (D-Beaver County).

Attorney General Tom Corbett's complete statement can be read on his office's Web site.

The complete list of indictments handed down:

Mike Veon, Sean Ramaley, Michael Manzo, Rachel Manzo, Scott Brubaker, Jennifer Brubaker, Brett Cott, Jeff Foreman, Annamerie Perretta-Rosepink, Stephen Keefer, Patrick Lavelle, Earl Mosley.

2:35 p.m. | The attorney general's finding extend into the 2004 presidential election, when Corbett said a "staggering" number of man hours from House Democratic staffers were used to throw Green Party candidate Ralph Nader.

Veon sent this e-mail to those staffers: "FYI ...great job by our staff! This would have never been successful without your work. You have given John Kerry and even better opportunity to win this state ... one of the 5 most important states to win this year."

"This is very significant fact and significant contribution by each of you to the Kerry for president campaign ... you should take great pride in your efforts."

Kerry won the state by 144,248 votes in 2004, according to totals from the Secretary of State's office.

2:41 p.m. | Corbett described in detail a non-working job Manzo created for a 21-year-old legislative intern, Angela Bertugli, whom he "allegedly developed a long-running sexual liaison that continued through November 2007."

Corbett said Bertugli did not go through an interview process before taking a job in the House Allegheny County Delegation. The attorney general said Bertugli made up to nearly $30,000 at one time while doing school work at her job.

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Former state Rep. Mike Veon blurred the line between state and campaign work during his 2006 re-election campaign, with phone canvassers using lists of constituents who visited his office and state workers helping with the campaign, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The Post-Gazette obtained more than 80 e-mails that showed Veon using his taxpayer-funded offices for his campaign work.

It's the latest revelation in the on-going "Bonusgate" scandal, which threatens to wreak havoc on the Legislature the moment Attorney General Tom Corbett hands down indictments.

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