Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Pa. Senate OKs plan to abolish corruption-filled Traffic Court

THE STATE Senate gave Philadelphia Traffic Court a big push toward extinction Wednesday, voting unanimously to abolish the controversial court two weeks after all but one of its judges were charged with federal crimes in a massive ticket-fixing scheme.

In his Chester office Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi talks about the possibility of Major league soccer coming to Chester. (Sharon Gekoski-Kimmel / Inquirer)
In his Chester office Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi talks about the possibility of Major league soccer coming to Chester. (Sharon Gekoski-Kimmel / Inquirer)Read more

THE STATE Senate gave Philadelphia Traffic Court a big push toward extinction Wednesday, voting unanimously to abolish the controversial court two weeks after all but one of its judges were charged with federal crimes in a massive ticket-fixing scheme.

The eight state senators from Philadelphia - all Democrats - supported legislation from state Sen. Dominic Pileggi, a Delaware County Republican and Senate majority leader, to dissolve the court and change how traffic tickets are adjudicated in the city.

That legislation now goes to the state House for consideration.

"Indictments tend to motivate everybody," said state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, explaining that Pileggi held meetings with the Philadelphia delegation to explain how his legislation would work. "Traffic Court is a tradition in Philadelphia that historically got to a place beyond what should have been allowed."

U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger, while announcing the federal charges last month against nine current and former Traffic Court judges, said that they fixed tickets for "Philadelphia ward leaders, local politicians and associates for the Democratic City Committee."

Pileggi introduced his legislation the following day.

His first bill would change the state Constitution to eliminate Traffic Court. That must be approved in two consecutive legislative sessions and then be put to a statewide vote. The earliest that all could happen is May 2015.

The second bill moves cases involving traffic tickets to Philadelphia Municipal Court. Anyone already elected as a Traffic Court judge would become a hearing examiner in Municipal Court. New examiners would be appointed by Municipal Court's president judge.

The legislation's progress in Harrisburg has not stymied political interest in three open Traffic Court seats in Philadelphia. Candidates can start circulating nominating petitions on Tuesday for the May 21 primary election. The job pays $91,052 per year, and winners do not have to be lawyers.

Williams and state Sen. Shirley Kitchen on Wednesday said that they are still being approached by people interested in running for Traffic Court.

If Pileggi's bills are approved by the House and signed into law by Gov. Corbett, this year's election would be the last gasp of Traffic Court as a political post.

Traffic Court has resisted attempts at reform through its 75-year history, which has been marked be a series of scandals.

But the hearing-examiner model pushed by Pileggi has had problems in Philadelphia as well.

Joseph Hoffman Jr., the son of a South Philly ward leader, was sentenced in 2005 to two years in federal prison for taking $4,000 in payoffs to dismiss $40,000 in parking tickets for the owner of a Philadelphia taxi company.

Hoffman was director of the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication, the city agency that uses hearing examiners to handle appeals of tickets issued by the Philadelphia Parking Authority.

A federal jury acquitted Hoffman on charges that he dismissed tickets for local politicians while he was seeking Democratic Party support to run for Traffic Court judge.

Two of the judges charged two weeks ago - Kenneth Miller, of Delaware County, and H. Warren Hogeland, of Bucks County - pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court. Both had been district justices in their home counties and started hearing Philadelphia Traffic Court cases after being named senior judges.

Seven other current or former Traffic Court judges, including former administrative judges Fortunato Perri Sr. and Michael Sullivan, also were charged. Only Perri was accused of taking anything of value for fixing tickets. The rest were charged with offering "special consideration" in cases to the politically connected.

Pileggi, in a statement released after his legislation was approved, noted that the federal charges left just one judge serving on Traffic Court.

"There is no good reason for taxpayers to continue footing the bill for a court that is unnecessary and has become an embarrassment to the state's judicial system," Pileggi said.