Mario Civera - Pay Us Back - Again

As President of the Delaware County Young Democrats and a taxpayer, I Casey Roncaglione, am calling on Representative Mario Civera to repay Taxpayers for the money spent airing Public Service Announcements on his behalf. The total is $114,801. We also demand all other Legislators, Republican and Democrat, to do the same.

Mr. Civera (R-164 Upper Darby) stood on the House floor calling for restraint of new taxes in the Governor's budget. A good start to that restraint would be to reimburse the Taxpayer for Representative Civera's own lack of restraint, anything less would be hypocritical and make his budget statements just political posturing.

When Representative Civera took the late night pay raise in 2005, he reluctantly returned the money after public pressure forced him to face reality. We hope he will see the light with his PSA spending as he did with the pay raise, and return the money to the State.

Public Service announcements have been called nothing more than taxpayer funded election commercials. The information included in PSA's is available in many other places, including libraries, district offices, newspapers, and from the service providers themselves. This material is also provided free to citizens.

When the House voted to eliminate the PSA spending, Mr. Civera voted not to eliminate them, while his colleague Representative Greg Vitali voted yes to stop the waste.
Once again Mr. Civera has failed to hear that taxpayers are fed up with waste in Government. The State needs no new taxes, rather it needs cuts in spending, particularly those programs which are without doubt unnecessary.

If Mr. Civera is serious about reducing taxes then he should start at home and repay the $114,801 he spent on his Public Service Announcements.

Casey Roncaglione

Mario Civera Budget Blunder

I had to laugh as Mario Civera appealed to the House for "physical" restraint for taxes. His own restraint of personal spending with your taxpayer money puts him in the top %5 of all legislative spenders.

Here is the latest report from the state on how much of your money Mario Civera spends on "Public Service Announcements".
These announcements are little more than state paid commercials.
I hereby ask that Mario stop this waste of taxpayer money, and demand that he explain why he abuses this program.
When the vote came up on the "Civera Amendment" it was defeated, but when the legislature tried to end waste of taxpayer funded PSA's, Civera voted no.

PSA money spent by Mario J Civera

Months of 2005 Cable Spots and Radio Spots
May $13,090.00 Website
June $11,866.00 PHEAA
July $11,628.00 District Office
August $11,866.00 CHIP
September $11,866.00 Tutoring Pgm
November $11,628.00 Liheap

Total 2005 PSA Money Spent $71,944.00

Months of 2006 of Cable Spots and Radio Spots
January $11,866.00 PACE
February $10,251.00 Senior Pgms
July $10,370.00 Prop Tax-Rent Rebate
August $10,370.00 Veterans Event

Total 2006 PSA Money Spent $42,857.00

Total PSA Money Spent for Mario J Civera $114,801.00

Indicates Multiple Cable Systems/Radio Stations

Mario Civera in Harrisburg

Comments from observers of Representative Civera's first big moment as minority Appropriatons Chairman on the State budget.

From KEYSTONE Politics

DELCO Republicans just don't get it
On May 22nd, 2007 Anonymous says:
Evans may have had a good idea and tried to give Civera some props, and Civera and his brethren took it as an opportunity to bash the governor. So much for a bipartisan spirit. Civera's attitude is typical of DELCO republicans and went a long way to killing any chance of bipartisanship.

Civera made an error
On May 22nd, 2007 Anonymous says:
If he would have just graciously accepted the proposal that Evans put out, he might have gotten his way. But, no, he is a jerk and his proposal gets defeated (102-96 according to Micek).
I don't think the GOP understands that bipartisan means that you have to play nicely for 10 minutes.
LV Dem

G.O.P. - Golden Opportunities Plummeted?
On May 22nd, 2007 thegentlemanfro... says:
As a conservative Republican myself, the Republican Party in this fine Commonwealth never ceases to amaze me. Day by day I become more and more convinced that my political brethren are infected by a self-destruction bug which appears to be incurable. Here we have Dwight Evans, a Democrat who, for whatever reason, was prepared to hand the GOP it's dream budget, and Civera takes that diamond and proceeds to flush it down the toilet with talking points and brazen ego. I heard an expression once that stuck with me: "You have two ears and one mouth. Use them in the proportion and you'll do just fine." Civera should've known to shut up and vote. Get the budget to Rendell on time and force his hand. Instead, he bought himself a few more lines in the paper. The Pennsylvania GOP is truly doomed.

Memorial Day

Have a good Memorial Day weekend.

"Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum,
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell,
And I was the kid with the drum!
Say, don't you remember, they called me Al;
it was Al all the time.
Say, don't you remember, I'm your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?"

Support our disabled veterans

Initiative and Referendum

By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG -- For more than 20 years, state Sen. James Rhoades has been trying to give Pennsylvanians the power of "initiative and referendum,'' allowing citizens to enact new laws directly without going through the state Legislature, as well as the power to overturn measures passed by the Legislature.
Such a major change "will give individual citizens a greater voice in the legislative process, and will help government be more responsive to those we serve,'' said Mr. Rhoades. "Increasing the public's say in the laws we pass in Harrisburg will stimulate public involvement.''
"Initiative'' gives a citizens group the power to collect a certain amount of signatures of registered voters, based on the number of votes cast in the last election for governor. If the signatures are verified, a proposed law or constitutional change is put to a statewide referendum without waiting for the Legislature to act.
For example, citizens could put on the ballot a measure to change the state tax structure, such as rolling the income tax back to 2.8 percent, where it was until the Legislature increased it to 3.07 percent in 2004.
"Empower the people of Pennsylvania with the ability to initiate and repeal legislative and constitutional changes,'' said Matthew Brouillette, Commonwealth Foundation president. It's part of the overall effort to "increase openness, transparency and accountability in state government," he said, a movement that has sprung up in the wake of the Legislature's now-repealed pay raise.

Civera Bugets for Himself

I'm reposting this based on Mario's new persona as "fiscal watchdog".

Mario Civera and his spending of your money
Here is the latest report from the state on how much of your money Mario Civera spends on "Public Service Announcements".

What a waste. Think of the good that money could have been used for.These announcements are little more than state paid commercials.

I hereby ask that Mario stop this waste of taxpayer money, and demand that he explain to all of us why he abuses this program. When the vote came up on the issue in Harrisburg Mario voted no, I wonder why.

PSA money spent by Mario J Civera $114,801.00

Please see the details below.

Civera Budget Ploy Fails

From post-gazette.com

"In a surprise move, House lawmakers from both parties agreed yesterday to withdraw 245 of the 246 amendments that they had submitted last week. Instead, they offered only the most sweeping amendment, the one by Mr. Civera, R-Delaware, which would have cut most of the governor's proposals for new programs, restored funding to lawmakers' pet projects and limited spending to the rate of inflation.
"I do think there's some value to members airing out their projects," said House GOP Leader Sam Smith, R-Punxsutawney, "but our members felt we could make the most striking [case] by putting the Civera amendment straight up against the governor's budget."
They lost."

My take is that after years of being the Governor's Republican lapdog, Civera is trying to position himself as the loyal opposition. He used the Governor to help in his re-election, voted for every tax increase that came down the pike and now fears the voters have finally seen the wolf in sheeps clothing.

Civera Budget Fails

Our new fiscal conservative, please spare me.

Civera went on to sum up his budget proposal for the (ugh) "new physical year,"

Mario Civera and his spending of your money

Here is the latest report from the state on how much of your money Mario Civera spends on "Public Service Announcements". What a waste. Think of the good that money could have been used for.
These announcements are little more than state paid commercials. I hereby ask that Mario stop this waste of taxpayer money, and demand that he explain to all of us why he abuses this program. When the vote came up on the issue in Harrisburg Mario voted no, I wonder why.

PSA money spent by Mario J Civera

Months of 2005 Cable Spots and Radio Spots
May $13,090.00 Website
June $11,866.00 PHEAA
July $11,628.00 District Office
August $11,866.00 CHIP
September $11,866.00 Tutoring Pgm
November $11,628.00 Liheap
Total 2005 PSA Money Spent $71,944.00


Months of 2006 of Cable Spots and,Radio Spots
January $11,866.00 PACE
February $10,251.00 Senior Pgms
July $10,370.00 Prop Tax-Rent Rebate
August $10,370.00 Veterans Event
Totals 1,600 $42,857.00
Total 2006 PSA Money Spent $42,857.00


Total PSA Money Spent for Mario J Civera $114,801.00

Indicates Multiple Cable Systems/Radio Stations

New Online Fundraising

I've posted an easy way for you to contribute to the ultimate defeat of Mario Civera. It's very easy to do, just enter the amount, click on the Act Blue icon and follow the easy instructions.

Last election Mario outspent me by more than $500,000. House Speaker John Perzel of Philadelphia gave Mario $150,000.
This time with your help the outcome will be different.

I owe you, who does Mario owe?
Thanks in advance.
Casey

Act 1 Civera's Last Act

For 27 years, Mario Civera has promised property tax cuts. Check your tax bill and you'll see his complete failure. He stood with the Governor and rattled on how he would get it done. Well the voters said you failed Mario.

“They saw this for what is was: smoke and mirrors and just another way for the legislature to pretend they are doing their jobs.” Sure Mario will get you a handicapped parking spot, but when it comes to saving your home , that spot isn't worth much.

Worse yet The Upper Darby School District has proposed a 4.6 property tax hike.

To quote from the Delco Times, “When the next election rolls around, I don’t care if it’s a Democrat or Republican,” she said. “If you recognize their name, don’t vote for them. If they don’t get this issue, get them out of there.”

STUDENT STANDS UP TO GOP MONEY MACHINE

The following observations of Politics in Upper Darby is long overdue. Those in power would prefer to keep quiet and not make waves that would endanger their cushy jobs.
It's kind of long, so I've linked it here, here's the link. http://nickpipitone.blogspot.com/2007/04/student-stands-up-to-gop-money-machine.html

Mario Civera Charges You 23 Dollars

HARRISBURG - Lawmakers say they are alarmed by how much the General Assembly spends on itself compared to legislatures of other large states.

In 2005, the cost of running the Pennsylvania Legislature was $23 for every resident, compared to $5.83 in Illinois and $3.69 in Ohio, according to figures given yesterday by a researcher from the National Conference of State Legislatures to the Speaker's Commission on Legislative Reform. California came in at $8.20 per person and New York at $10.72, lawmakers were told.
State Rep. Peter J. Daley, D-California, said he has been pushing Legislature reform since 1985 to deaf ears.

"The numbers are stark realities we can't ignore as a body," said Rep. Curt Schroder, R-Chester County, a commission member.
California, the largest state, ranked 31st, and New York, the third-largest, ranked 18th. Michigan ranked 22nd; Illinois, 37th; and Ohio, 49th.
The figures show Pennsylvania ranks first when comparing legislative costs as a percentage of all state spending.
Pennsylvania ranked second in total legislative spending of $286 million in 2005, according to the NCSL figures. That's a conservative figure that doesn't include an estimated $25 million spent on boards and commissions under the Legislature, according to Pennsylvania budget documents.
"No matter how you present the numbers, we are right at the top of the list," said Rep. David Steil, R-Bucks County, co-chairman of the reform panel.
Rep. Greg Vitali, D-Delaware County, said he is concerned about the Legislature's "bloated" budget.

One driver of the cost is the size of Pennsylvania's legislative staff, which was second-largest in the nation in 2003, according to the NCSL. Pennsylvania's legislative staff more than doubled from 1,430 in 1979 to 2,947 in 2003.
Based on several studies, there's no clear indication that reducing the size of a legislature would reduce costs, Erickson said.
Opponents of cutting the Legislature argue that lawmakers will add more district offices and staff if they have larger districts.
To combat that argument, Rep. Mark Mustio, R-Moon, sponsor of a bill to reduce the Legislature to 201 members, said his legislation would mandate a 20 percent cut in legislative spending. A similar bill by Sen. John Pippy, R-Moon, was approved by the Senate State Government Committee on Tuesday.
But Steil and Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery County, the other co-chair of the speaker's commission, question whether there is enough support on the 24-member House panel to approve a recommendation to reduce the Legislature's size.
"It did not seem to me there is a general consensus to support reducing the size, but there certainly is to support reducing the costs," Steil said.

Dwight Evans for Mayor

Being that Philadelphia is in close proximity to our community, I feel the new Mayor of Philadelphia can be a positive force in uplifting our area. It is with this in mind that I support Dwight Evans for Mayor of Philadelphia.
His record speaks for itself, and to list his qualifications would take too much space here.
On a personal note, while I was running for State Rep in Upper Darby, he took his time to call me during the election and offer encouragement and advice. He is a fine man and has the best intentions for making our neighbor, Philadelphia, a better place. A mayor of Philadelphia who realizes that his neighboring communities can be a regional partner is a refreshing change.
Dwight Evans is a man whose vision can uplift an entire city and region.
The Delco Young Dems therefore encourage the support of Mr. Dwight Evans for Mayor of Philadelphia.

Casey Roncaglione

President

610-804-7373

Delaware County Young Democrats

AP: State legislators got $50,000 in freebies last year

From the York Dispatch

"HARRISBURG -- State lawmakers raked in thousands of dollars worth of freebies last year, ranging from ski passes and football tickets to air travel and hotel accommodations.
They collected more than $50,000 in gifts and travel, according to an Associated Press analysis of the annual Statement of Financial Interests forms that public officials in Pennsylvania were required to file by Tuesday.
Legislators were provided free seats at Penn State and University of Pittsburgh college football games, Pocono Raceway events, professional baseball and basketball games and a stage performance of Disney's "The Lion King" musical."

I ask Mario Civera to tell us, his constituents, what freebies he gets.