Mr. Eachus Define Term Limits

In an August 1996 mailing Todd Eachus stated he was for term limits.

"Tom(Stish) is a career politician who has been on the public payroll throughout his career; first with the public school system and now with the State of Pennsylvania... I, on the other hand, believe in term limits. We should expect public service, not self service."

It is now 2010. I was just wondering what Mr. Eachus considered an appropriate time to keep his campaign promise. Mr. Eachus claims that Tom Stish was a career politician. Todd Eachus has been in office since 1996. Nuff said. One has to wonder how the teachers feel when Todd Eachus made it sound like something illegal to work in the public school system.

His reference to serving as a Congressional staff member including serving under Paul Kanjorski.

Eachus Arrogance Towards Taxpayers

Just today I received a flyer from Todd Eachus inviting me to a "Community Converstaton" with him. "As your state representative, I look forward to listnening to your concerns...." Talk about the most disingenous statement by a too long time legislator. Here is the REAL Todd Eachus.

TOOHIL TO EACHUS: COME CLEAN ON STAFF SALARIES

In recent reports, Representative Eachus declined an interview when requested by the media. In a statement, Representative Eachus said, "Our personnel offices uses industrywide best practices and standards, much like any other public or private organization, for salaries, ranges and job classifications." However, Eachus went on to say, "Beyond that we don't discuss details of our personnel decisions."

Tarah Toohil, Candidate for State Representative in the 116th Legislative District, finds these type of responses to be unacceptable. "This is a classic example of Representative Eachus being out of touch with the people who elected him. The behavior of our legislature and its leaders is gluttonous and arrogant and the people of the 116th District and the people of Pennsylvania are demanding better."

Toohil stated, "When asked by the media, Eachus will not explain his policies. He refuses to be accountable. He refuses to be transparent even when the people and the media are demanding it. Even with the Bonusgate Grand Jury finding that our legislature is living in a 'time warp of public corruption', that it is one of the most bloated and excessive legislatures, and that it should be cut back to part-time in order to save the taxpayers tens of millions of dollars... Representative Eachus refuses to change his ways and it is unacceptable."

Toohil argues that in light of the Bonusgate findings, details of personnel decisions such as salary raises, disparities among legislative staffs, and job descriptions and qualifications are going to be discussed. The public has a right to know exactly how its money is being spent and misspent.

John Baer of the Philadelphia Daily News has a response.


For one thing, there's scant evidence beyond lip service that our "leaders" understand or empathize with the pain so many taxpayers feel from job loss, furloughs, frozen/reduced salaries and slashed benefits and pensions.

Rep. John Yudichak hits a home run with this statement.

Rep. John Yudichak, D-Luzerne County, says the Legislature "has to put more on the table," including long-hoarded leadership accounts, which he figures at about $200 million and calls "a padded reserve to buttress leaders."

HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER TODD EACHUS..do you think he is talking about you. Let me tell you about a concern...or better yet..let me play this video....



At one time you were proud to take Robert Powell's money. You have yet to return it....You took an illegal pay raise...yet to pay it back...Spend WAM money...does Tom Stish's campaign remind you of some statements.....Illegal midnight pay raises....ohhh yess... Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?

DejaVu- Stish, Eachus, DeWeese

The arrest of Bill DeWeese, recent alleged Harrisburg corruption defendant, reminded me of the way Todd Eachus was elected in the 116th District that includes the City of Hazleton. Role the tape back to 1994 when Democrat Representative Tom Stish, 116th, decided to switch parties and become a Republican at the behest of then House Majority Chairman John Perzel, another recent alleged Harrisburg corruption defendant.

Bill DeWeese seized on the party switch to convince Exeter businessman Todd Eachus to move into the 116th and run as a Democrat against Tom Stish.

From Todd Eachus's bio:

Todd was born September 26, 1962 in Harrisburg, Pa., moved to Wilkes-Barre, Pa. in 1964 and graduated from Wilkes-Barre Coughlin High School in 1980. He received his bachelor’s from Pitzer College of the Claremont Colleges, Claremont, Calif. in 1984, where he also was a three-year College Football Letterman, Pomona/Pitzer Fighting Sagehens. He married Ellen Kusiak-Eachus of Plains, Pa. in 1985. They have three sons: Anthony, Benjamin and Nathan.

Todd began his public service career in 1985 on the staff of Congressman Frank J. Guarini, until opening his own small business in 1990 as President and Owner of Portable Space in Exeter, which he ran until being elected to the state House in 1996.

I believe they call that carpetbagging. Bill DeWeese was so enthused to enlist Eachus that he even broke House Rules.

Mr.DeWEESE. Todd Eachus; Todd Eachus. Have you ever
heard of that name before? Todd Eachus. This is the Todd Eachus
proposal, and I am pleased, like my colleague, the gentleman
from Allegheny County, Mr. Trello, to be here and support the
Todd Eachus bill.
People out in our great rambling State often wonder if they can
have an impact on government by running for public life. They
can. This young hard-charger from the Hazleton area is having
an-
The SPEAKER. Mr. DeWeese-
Mr. DeWEESE. -impact today in the General Assembly of
Pennsylvania.
Yes, Mr. Speaker ?
The SPEAKER. Mr. DeWeese, I believe-
Mr. DeWEESE. What ?
The SPEAKER. -I believe, without looking at the rules, that
bringing in the names of opponents of members is improper, and
I would ask you to not do that.
Mr. DeWEESE. Out of respect for the Speaker, which knows
no limit, I shall not use Mr. Eachus' name again, until he is
elected.
The SPEAKER. Well, I think you were right; you will not be
using that name again.

Well Perzel actually turned out wrong with that last statement but then again with DeWeese's arrest probably now receives some vindication.

DeWeese used intimidation to keep his Democratic members in line, something Eachus picked up on and tried to emulate.

DeWeese accused Stish of seeking his 15 minutes of fame at the expense of fellow Democrats with this infamous and memorable quote: “He is like a dead mackerel in the moonlight. He shines and stinks at the same time.”

Mario Cattabiani of the Philadelphia Inquirer recently tracked the now-unemployed, just-barely-scraping-by Stish down in Florida.

Stish told Cattabiani that the Big Switch cost him childhood friends, his marriage and earned him hatred and enemies. He was the target of vandalism and graffiti. He lost re-election in 1996 because the Democrats wanted his scalp so badly. Ridge gave him a job in his administration for a while but Stish said he was eventually forced out. He claimed abandonment by his Republican suitors.

Stish told Cattabiani, that he'd tell any lawmaker pondering a similar move: “Just don't do it. You will be basically giving up everything of worth. If you do it, be prepared." Stish said he is “barely making it,” surviving on his two state pensions from eight years in the Legislature and previous time as a teacher.

Now DeWeese – who to this day speaks contemptuously of Stish -- is making sure every House Democrat hears Stish’s words about what happened to him. He is copying and distributing to all remaining and incoming Democratic House members a copy of the Inquirer’s account quoting Stish.

Now Eachus, as House Majority Leader, has words coming back to haunt him.

Now DeWeese and Reps. Keith McCall and Todd Eachus, neither of whom yet get the kind of awed respect for tactics, politics and acumen that Veon earned, have to get on-the-job-training.

They have to step in during a tough budget year, with tax votes, a major transportation funding increase, a property tax fight and do the legislative magic that Veon used to do.

Those are big cowboy boots to fill. And if they fail, if they lose votes, if the increasingly conservative House Republican caucus unifies and denies them on a few key votes, the House Democrats will look weak.

Also, if a House Democrat runs for local office (mayor, county commissioner) and has to leave office at some point, their majority could be called into question.

Also, while many Democrats in the east are delighted that younger members like Eachus, D-Luzerne, and Reps. Josh Shapiro and Mike Gerber, both D-Montgomery, are taking major roles in party affairs, many are not.
Some long-time and mid-tenured House Democrats who have seen seniority rewarded their whole careers say privately they would like to see the young whippersnappers get tripped up.

The budget fiasco and the hold up of table game legislation bore out the inept and unqualified credentials that led the Democrats to elect Eachus as House Leader. It will remain to be seen whether he holds onto that position. Insiders are saying he already lost it.

Eachus's associations with Robert Powell, Jill Moran, Greg Skrepenak, Bill DeWeese, Steve Stetler, Michael Veon, Michael Manzo, and Rachel Manzo are part of a new book coming out called "It's The Company I Keep."

It is challenging to hold onto one's office when a Representative will fight like hell to secure $500 million for a "fantasy airport", but won't help with a dime for the biggest city in his district. Eachus is putting up opposition to cleaning up mine reclamation but has no problem with dirty laundry all around his feet.

Since Eachus wasn't from this area before representing it he lacks the passion for its constiuents. Moving here was about furthering a career not because he wanted to be a part of the area. That is the precise reason he hasn't supported major projects in Hazleton with any funding. The repugnancy he demonstrates against Republicans is such an instinctive antagonism that he can't see how he morally failed Hazleton as its representative. Of course with a teacher like DeWeese it is no wonder.