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John Baer: Fumo conviction underscores the case for Pa. term limits

ONE QUESTION emerging from Vince Fumo's all-in, slam-dunk conviction is when, oh when, will Pennsylvania finally see the light? How many times must we see the same thing?

Convicted former State Sen. Vince Fumo’s 30-year rise came in a state without caps on campaign contributions, and which until recently had no lobbyist regulations. (Eric Mencher / Staff Photographer)
Convicted former State Sen. Vince Fumo’s 30-year rise came in a state without caps on campaign contributions, and which until recently had no lobbyist regulations. (Eric Mencher / Staff Photographer)Read more

ONE QUESTION emerging from Vince Fumo's all-in, slam-dunk conviction is when, oh when, will Pennsylvania finally see the light?

How many times must we see the same thing?

How many of our public officials who stay in positions of power too long will we watch paraded off to prison?

How long before somebody puts two and two together and seriously suggests, hey, term limits might make things better?

Vince is but the latest (though extreme) example of what can happen when flawed individuals (and who's without flaws?) get and keep clout in a system with so little accountability.

Democrat Fumo's 30-year rise came in a state without caps on campaign contributions, in a state that until recently had no lobbyist regulation, in a state where the Legislature operates as part personal bank, part re-election headquarters for its members.

Somebody in authority signed off on all those Senate contracts that The Vince used for his own rather than public purposes.

And why? Because over time Vince amassed enough influence to basically use any part of the system for anything he wanted.

The political atmosphere here is one that allows abuse to bloom.

Former U.S. Attorney (and likely GOP gubernatorial candidate) Pat Meehan, whose office charged Fumo two years ago, said in a statement yesterday: "While it is my hope that today's decision will begin to reverse the corrupt behavior we have seen for far too long, sadly much of the damage has already been done."

Amen. And much of it's been done by longtime incumbents.

Fumo's South Philly Democratic predecessor, the late state Sen. Buddy Cianfrani, served 15 years in the Legislature before being jailed for racketeering.

Former Democratic House Speaker Herb Fineman of Philly served 22 years before being convicted of obstruction of justice in an influence-peddling scandal.

It's not just Philly and it's not just Democrats.

Former Republican Senate Majority Leader Joe Loeper of Delaware County (20 years in the Senate), was jailed in 2000 for tax evasion.

The most recent Democratic state House whip, Beaver County Rep. Mike Veon (20 years in the House), was indicted in July on charges of theft and criminal conspiracy.

Former Republican Rep. Frank Serafini of Luzerne County (20 years in the House) was convicted in 1999 in an illegal campaign contributions case.

Former Democratic Rep. Frank LaGrotta of Lawrence County (20 years in the House) was charged last year with putting relatives on his payroll in no-show jobs.

Trust me, there are more, and there's an ongoing corruption probe of the Legislature likely to snag other long-term officeholders.

Also, I suspect if the feds focused a couple of years on almost any decades-plus incumbent they'd turn up something to prosecute.

And, OK, some long-termers serve more than steal, but the Pennsylvania pattern is pretty clear: the longer you're here, the better your chances of personal experience with prosecutors.

Current Senate GOP leaders Joe Scarnati of Jefferson County and Dominic Pileggi of Delaware County issued a statement yesterday noting that in two years in power they passed an open-records law and required bipartisan legal review of Senate contracts before they're awarded.

The statement notes Fumo's case showed "holes in the system" that could be exploited for wrongdoing and adds, "We are determined to close those holes."

That's good. But the system needs flushing not plugging.

Fifteen states have term limits. Big states (California), smaller states (Maine), Midwestern states (Michigan), neighboring states (Ohio) and southern states (Florida).

Someone should show some sense and guts and offer a passable term-limit bill here. It's not the only answer, but limiting terms in office could lead to limiting terms in prison. *

Send e-mail to baerj@phillynews.com.

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