| State Representative Kate Harper is double dipping and the result is she's missing key votes in Harrisburg. The Montgomery County attorney also serves, in a paid capacity, as Upper Moreland Solicitor, Hatfield Borough Council Solicitor and the Milford Township Zoning Board Solicitor. Gee, that's more than double dipping isn't it?
Here's the worst of the problem: if the State House is in session and voting on Monday evenings guess where Rep. Harper chooses to serve? Upper Moreland Township. She missed votes this year on several bills including the one on Open Records.
The Open Records Law was the most significant reform issue passed this session. Kate Harper didn't lose any sleep over her misplaced priorities however since her scorn for reform issues is the stuff of political cartoons:
Harper chose to attend various local municipal meetings in her role as Solicitor and skipped her duties in the State House of Representatives on February 11, April 7, May 21, and July 2 just this year. Fortunately for reforms like open government minutes for such public meetings are readily available online. This one shows her attending the Township meeting instead of working for her constituents in Harrisburg.
There are several issues at work here: Kate Harper has shown an obvious priority for putting her Solicitor jobs ahead of her State Representative responsibilities. She has been in Harrisburg and cast votes on numerous days then left to attend local government meetings.
Why are the taxpayers in Montgomery County paying her to be a part time legislator? Why are they paying her for more than one public position?
Rep. Dave Kessler also serves a double duty as a Township official however he gave up his salary as an Oley Township Supervisor when he was elected to the State House. Harper has not.
Why should the constituents in the 61st District care? In addition to the Open Records vote she also opted to put Township business ahead of a vote on health care (HB 1999 and HB 2051) allowing physician assistants to perform more tasks they're trained for in order to lower medical costs. Another health care bill (HB 1804) requiring respiratory therapists to be licensed by the state and part of Gov. Rendell's Prescription for Pennsylvania effort.
If the mortgage meltdown crisis and resulting economic downturn has affected you Harper also chose to slip a vote (HB1082) mortgage reform. Of course we know how Kate Harper feels about reform. If you got cheated on your mortgage just go to the Capitol cafe and order the "reform du jour." She was off picking up an additional salary that evening, more important work to do.
Missed votes also include prison reform, something Montgomery County taxpayers could be saving money on (HB 4, 5 and 6), and a bill cracking down on employers misclassifying their employees as independent contractors to deny them benefits. She also missed a vote on a bill (HB 1329) introduced by Rep. Kessler on local zoning. Since one of her moonlighting jobs is as a Zoning Board Solicitor you'd think Kate Harper might have had an interest in this legislation. Nope, she missed the vote.
Harper also missed a vote on insuring cigarettes are fire safe. HB 1612 would require all cigarettes sold in Pennsylvania meet fire safe standards. Isn't this ironic? I say the voters in Montco's 61st District fire Harper's ass for double dipping on them and not representing them properly and professionally in Harrisburg.
Its clear where her priorities lie: local government. The record is clear and unambiguous: she consciously chose to skip important votes in Harrisburg and drive back to Montgomery County to perform her paid duties as Solicitor. She left her constituents in the dark and laughed all the way to the bank. I hop she made some time while in Harrisburg to dine on the "reform du jour" because this issue is going to stick in the throats of many voters.
True reform in the 61st District is named Frank X. Custer. Vote for real reform this year and you won't get any conflicts of interest shoved down your throats.
Update: this story was picked up by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. Read their take on it here. |
