Rep. Dwight Evans Wastes $1 Million Dollars Of Taxpayer Money On Jazz Festival

Beavers for Initiative Growth, Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods, Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation. What do they all have in common? All are non-profits tied to politicians from Harrisburg. In the case of the first two trials resulted from allegations of improprieties connected to mismanagement of their funds. Former Senator Vince Fumo and Representative Michael Veon were associated with those entities.

Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corp, however is the tax-exempt, taxpayer-supported nonprofit group founded by State Rep. Dwight Evans, chairman of the all-powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Philly.com reported that the non-profit received $1 million dollars of Pennsylvania taxpayer money to host the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival. Claims were made that the crowd would rival Woodstock, "in excess of 500,000 festival attendees from around the world." In reality only a couple thousand made it to the event.

Today Karen Heller writes an op-ed that Pennsylvania taxpayers shouldn't foot the bill for the festival.

The three-day festival was free to the public.

And, then again, not.

Because you, dear reader, paid for the festival to the (free-form jazz) tune of $1 million through the Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corp. (OARC), the tax-exempt, taxpayer-supported nonprofit group founded by State Rep. Dwight Evans, chairman of the all-powerful House Appropriations Committee.

This support is $1 million more than what the commonwealth gave to the July Fourth Welcome America festivities, which drew crowds Ogontz Avenue could only dream of.

Meanwhile, city parades, athletic competitions, heritage events, and even Mummers go scrambling for funding.

"I don't want to get into a debate about the numbers," Evans said about attendance, though he has no problem with numbers when it comes to securing state grants for OARC, scads in the past decade.

Consider this: $29.3 million in tax dollars went to his pet charity. That's an amount that would impress even Vince Fumo.

Rep. Dwight Evans and House Majority Leader Todd Eachus frequently appear together in photo ops especially around budget time. Harrisburg will not change it errant ways unless the voters change the way Harrisburg looks by voting out incumbents who fling their thumb off their nose to the public when it comes to spending our money wisely.

Mike Veon Has More To Worry About

Brad Bumsted at the Tribune-Review highlights an obscure piece in the grand jury presentment against Mike Veon.

A little-noticed aspect of the March 25 state grand jury presentment against former House Democratic Whip Mike Veon is that his top aide has "flipped."

The new presentment suggests Foreman likely has cut a deal that might include immunity. That gives Attorney General Tom Corbett two key insiders -- Foreman and former Democratic Caucus Chief of Staff Mike Manzo -- who are prepared to testify. Manzo has agreed to plead guilty.

Stay tuned. It ain't over yet.

Where's Our Property Tax Relief Mr. Eachus?

According to Brad Bumsted over at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review House Majority Leader Todd Eachus raised the question on whether AG Corbett should resign if he decides about a run for governor.

In remarks during a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon, Eachus questioned whether Pennsylvania taxpayers could get their money's worth if Corbett faced the demands of a statewide campaign for governor.

A Classic Game of Wag The Dog. Let's hit back with a little sarcasim. So Todd, how much are the taxpayers getting for their money over the actions that led to Bonusgate? How much do they get every time you send a mailer to your district? How much did they get when you paid off Mike Veon's campaign debt? How much did they get when the taxpayers financed some of the promotional material for the proposed Cargo Airport outside of Hazleton?

How much property tax relief did they get with the casino money? I'll answer the last one. Zip, nadda, nothing. The account had a balance of $456 million as of March 16, according to the Governor's Office of the Budget. Under state law, the fund must contain at least $570 million for the state to distribute money to reduce homeowners' property taxes. Yet, how much money was distributed to municipalities before property owners??? As of February almost $170 million went to the municipalities according to Mary Collins speaking at the PA Gaming Congress. Why didn't municipalities have to wait but almost 3 times as much money is sitting for distribution to taxpayers and the average Joe has to wait??

How much money did they get in the Beavers for Initiative For Growth with Mike Veon? Let's read what Brad Bumsted at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review had to say about that.

Attorney General Tom Corbett apparently didn't want to politicize the grand jury presentment against a corrupt Beaver County nonprofit by bringing Gov. Ed Rendell directly into it.

But Rendell's shadow loomed large over the waves of state tax money poured into the Beaver Initiative for Growth, or BIG, the alleged criminal enterprise of the Democrats' former House whip, Mike Veon, a go-to guy for Rendell in the General Assembly.

All of BIG's money came from you -- the taxpayers, Corbett said.

BIG was formed by Veon in 1991 but there wasn't much state money flowing. Veon, however, knew he had hit the jackpot when Rendell, a Democrat, was elected in 2002. Roughly $9.9 million of the $10 million in taxpayer money that BIG would eventually receive came between 2003 and 2006.

Veon allegedly told BIG's former executive director, John Gallo, that "since Edward Rendell had just taken office as governor there were going to be millions of dollars coming to BIG." Gallo cooperated with the grand jury.

At a news conference in Pittsburgh last week, Corbett was asked why BIG all of a sudden got an influx of cash. He told reporters they would have to draw their own conclusions.

I'll do the same with regards to why Corbett became Eachus's target.

Senate To Ban Non-Profits For Members And More On Veon

In response to the charges against Vince Fumo as well as some other practices occuring in the Pennsylvania legislature, the Senate plans to ban their members from "from establishing, incorporating or directing the operation of a nonprofit organization or other entity whose primary purpose is to receive state funds."

Jan Murphy of the Patriot News is running the story on Pennlive.com.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware County, and Sen. Elder Vogel, R- Beaver County, today announced their intention to introduce a new Senate rule that would restrict senators and Senate employees from establishing, incorporating or directing the operation of a nonprofit organization or other entity whose primary purpose is to receive state funds.

The House put a similar rule in place in 2007.

"We must do everything we can to prevent the kind of wrongdoing alleged by the grand jury," Pileggi said. "In light of Wednesday's announcement by the Attorney General, it is clear that a Senate rule should be in place."

"This last election, my constituents voted for the restoration of character and integrity in the halls of our state Capitol," Vogel said. "This new rule will be yet another step forward in changing the culture of Harrisburg."

Pileggi and Vogel said they expect to introduce the measure in early April.

Closing the barn door after the horse has been let out. Speaking of Veon you have to give the guy credit. He has a set of cajoles.



The Post-Gazette and Tom Barnes are reporting that "Veon's lawyer goes on offensive against Corbett."

Veon's attorney, Joel Sansone, labeled Corbett's investigation Partisongate, not Bonusgate.

"We will prove that this indictment is nothing more than a political assassination," said Mr. Sansone, who is replacing defense lawyer Robert Del Greco. Mr. Sansone also is bringing in a criminal lawyer from Phoenix, Ariz., Dan Raynak, as co-counsel.

Mr. Sansone assailed the attorney general's two-year investigation of Mr. Veon and other Democratic House members and staffers, calling it "amateurish," "shoddy" and "politically motivated."

"Mike Veon was tirelessly devoted to the needs of the people of this state," Mr. Sansone said. "He served his district honestly and faithfully. He worked for better employment opportunities, education and health care."

I am particularly found of this quote- But Mr. Sansone said he thinks it's all part of one overall politically motivated investigation. "This week's indictment is nothing new. It's just more headline-grabbing" by Mr. Corbett, he contended.

Hmmm...and Attorney Sansone, what would you call your display of disaffection?

If you want to read the new grand jury presentment related to BIG, the non-rofit click here. If you want to read last year's grand jury presentment click here.

(A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.)

BREAKING NEWS- MIKE VEON FACING ADDITIONAL CHARGES- AG TOM CORBETT

According to the Patriot News AG Tom Corbett announced that additional charges have been filed against former PA House Democratic Whip Mike Veon.

Former House Democratic Whip Mike Veon and a staffer were hit with additional theft and conspiracy charges following a long-term investigation into a Beaver County nonprofit Veon established.

At an afternoon news conference, Attorney General Tom Corbett said the investigating grand jury found that Veon had diverted millions of dollars of state money earmarked for the Beaver Initiative for Growth for his own personal and political benefit.

The investigation was spurred by Pittsburgh Tribune Review reports questioning the contracts with consultants and other spending practices of the non profit.

The Associated Press reports Corbett says only 23 percent of the $4.7 million the nonprofit spent over a two-year period went to program expenses.

Veon faces theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest charges. Former Veon staffer Anna Marie Peretta-Rosepink is also charged.

Veon and Peretta-Rosepink already face charges in a separate corruption investigation related to bonuses allegedly paid state workers for campaign work.

Comments left at this link are extremely interesting.

Posted by agmines on 03/25/09 at 1:30PM
Sorry, I read the Grand Jury Findings, it is clear Bill DeWeese was kept out of the loop by Veon's and Eachus's hirings and employees. It was DeWeese investigators that found out about Manzo's inner workings with Veon and Manzo apologized in public that he let DeWeese down the day he was fired by DeWeese. What needs to be looked at now is how Todd Eachus is still working with Mike Veon as Majority Leader! Projects that were Veon's were alos Eachus's on Brownfields, Casino's, and taking camapaign contributions. Attorney Foreman was working for Eachus not Veon at the time of the Indictments. Something is still rotten in the Caucus but it ain't DeWeese.

Here is more on these latest developments at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

It must sound like a herd of buffalo in Harrisburg when the Indians put their ear to the ground.