Category: Pennsylvania Senate

$477,591 Public Pension In Pa

By Sen. Scott WagnerSen. Wagner decries $477,591 Public Pension In Pa

Contained in this column are two articles from the Patriot-News.

The first  was published May 6 by reporter Jan Murphy.

It is titled “Set for Life –Browse the database to see who is getting a six-figure annual pension”  Click here to view it.

The second article was published May 7 by reporter Charles Thompson. It is titled – “How PA state workers and teachers calculate their pensions” and can be read here.

The first article exposes the six-figure annual pensions of many retired Pennsylvania state government and school district employees.

Number one on the list is a retired Pennsylvania State University employee who is receiving $39,799.23 per month for a total yearly annuity of $477,591.

Number two on the list is another retired Pennsylvania State University employee who is receiving $36,989.98 per month for a total yearly annuity of $443,880.

These numbers do not reflect the health benefits that retired state employees are also receiving.

Please take note that of the top 25 people on the list, 13 are Penn State University retirees.

I have reported in the past that I serve on the Senate Appropriations committee and our committee is in the process of reviewing the governor’s budget.

I am scratching my head wondering why last year the State of Pennsylvania contributed approximately $230 million dollars from the general fund to Penn State University and this year Governor Wolf’s budget is proposing a $50 million dollar increase this year to Penn State for a total of approximately $280 million from the general fund to Penn State.

During Appropriations hearings last month I specifically asked the President of Penn State University for their financial statements to allow our committee to understand how much cash Penn State currently has in its various bank accounts and endowments.

Here is the head scratching thought – why is the state giving Penn State any money when it appears the money is going to subsidize breathtaking lifetime pensions when in fact the money should be going towards the education of their students?

I am not trying to single out Penn State University –  I am just stating the facts.

I have mentioned in previous email blasts that retirement and health benefits state employees receive are completely out of line with the private sector and they are virtually unsustainable.

For anyone wondering why Pennsylvania taxes are so high, these articles are crystal clear examples.

The second article explains how pension benefits are calculated stating that, “So as the plan exists now, a PennDOT foreman with 35 years of service could retire with pension income equal to 87.5 percent of their average pay for the last three years on the job.”

Excuse me – did I read that right?

In the last 3 years of a PennDOT foreman’s employment it is not unreasonable that this person could spike their gross income to $100,000 annually or more for the last 3 years of their employment so that an average of the 3 years could very well be $100,000 or more.

At $100,000 per year average for the last 3 years this person would retire with $87,500 per year to start for the rest of their life, plus lifetime healthcare benefits.

So a foreman could tell his wife – “Hey honey, I’m going to spend the next 3 years working as much overtime as I can so I can drive  my annual compensation up as high as possible so I’ll get a gold-plated pension when I retire – I’ll be back in 3 years!”

Reading articles like this combined with what I have learned since taking office makes me sick to my stomach.

This is the exact reason why I have introduced legislation such as my Taxpayer Fairness in Compensation Act.

These articles are more examples of how working class families are the ones who continue to get exploited in Pennsylvania.

Below is a graph from PennLive of the Top 40 highest pensions, but to view and search the full database of the thousands of retired state government and school district employees receiving over $100,000 per year in pension benefits, click on this link or look below.

 

Last Name First Name Yearly Annuity Monthly Annuity Total Years Of Service Last Employer
Erickson Rodney $477,591 $39,799.23 37 Pennsylvania State University
Benkovic Stephen $443,880 $36,989.98 43 Pennsylvania State University
Mitchel Irene $332,017 $27,668.12 48 State System-Higher Education
Schultz Gary $330,699 $27,558.25 38 Pennsylvania State University
Willey Richard $314,658 $26,221.49 25 Pa Higher Educ. Assist Agcy
Oliver Frank $286,118 $23,843.13 54 House Of Representatives
Kuo Kenneth $277,440 $23,120.01 39 Pennsylvania State University
Pierce William $254,362 $21,196.85 27 Pennsylvania State University
Racculia Phillip $249,902 $20,825.13 35 Pa Higher Educ. Assist Agcy
Kiely Daniel $242,169 $20,180.75 47 Pennsylvania State University
Costello Anthony V $222,685 $18,557.10 39 Garnet Valley Sd
Pell Eva $222,549 $18,545.76 36 Pennsylvania State University
Hershock Michael $222,174 $18,514.49 34 Pa Higher Educ. Assist Agcy
Marciniak Robert $219,221 $18,268.39 56 Pennsylvania State University
Parizek Richard $217,550 $18,129.13 52 Pennsylvania State University
Vesell Elliot $212,284 $17,690.34 39 Pennsylvania State University
Ohmoto Hiroshi $208,576 $17,381.36 44 Pennsylvania State University
Porter Jack $204,818 $17,068.20 39 State System-Higher Education
Anderson James $199,070 $16,589.15 40 Pennsylvania State University
Reddy Channa $196,173 $1,6347.74 28 Pennsylvania State University
Mcnairy Francine $194,408 $16,200.69 40 State System-Higher Education
Meyers Ronald $193,592 $16,132.67 47 State System-Higher Education
Summers Edward $189,844 $15,820.30 27 Administrative Off.-Pa Courts
Mazur Lee $189,690 $15,807.52 39 Administrative Off.-Pa Courts
Klein Richard $188,181 $15,681.74 42 Administrative Off.-Pa Courts
 Sen. Wagner, a Republican, represents the 28th District in the Pennsylvania Senate.
 
 $477,591 Public Pension In Pa

 

Wolf Budget Kills Delco And Pa For That Matter

State Rep. Bill Adolph (R-165), in a  terrifying talk, told the Springfield Republicans, tonight, April 15, that the tax hike in the budget proposed by Gov. Tom Wolf would be the largest ever imposed on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Wolf Budget Kills Delco And Pa For That Matter

He said the $33 billion proposed budget would increase spending by 16 percent and the ways he is proposing to fund it would add $8 billion in taxes.

Wolf wants to hike the personal income tax to 3.7 percent from 3.07 percent and raise the sales tax to 6.6 percent from 6 percent but the real devils are in the details. Adolph pointed out that Wolf is seeking to expand the sales tax to services such as day care and nursing homes. The callow cruelty of such a suggestion can only come from one who has never had to worry about such things which in Wolf’s case would be himself.

Adolph said that the property tax reform proposed by Wolf would benefit 96 of the state’s 500 school districts while burdening  the rest.

He said Springfield residents can expect to spend an extra $8 million in taxes under Wolf’s plan.

He said that the details are spelled out at TaxPayersThatPay.com

Adolph noted that there are more sensible reforms regarding property taxes and he expects them to come up in May.

Adolph said another significant but ignored point concerns how Wolf wants to handle corporations. Wolf’s idea is to require combined reporting businesses headquartered in Pennsylvania. This is a method of taxation that  treats a parent company and its subsidiaries as a single corporation for state tax purposes.

Adolph said he has been told  bluntly by several major businesses that they will move from Pennsylvania if this happens.

State Sen. Tom McGarrigle (R-26) also addressed the group and while his talk was much shorter it contained better news. He said the senate will soon pursue  pension reform in the way advocated by Sen. Pat Browne (R-16) who chairs the  Appropriations Committee. Browne wants  to change all state workers to 401-K type plans not just new hires. The existing defined-benefit plans are getting retired workers up to 80 percent of their salary and rising. This is unheard of in the private sector.

McGarrigle said such a change would likely be tested in courts but considering the existing pension fund deficit — it’s $50 billion — it’s in the self-interest of those with money vested in the program to go along.

County Councilwoman Colleen Morrone, who is seeking re-election, noted that the Marcus Hook refineries that were closed four years ago are now both open and that county policy played a part in saving them.

Mrs. Morrone is also CEO of Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County, Inc.

Township GOP Chairman Mike Puppio noted that the former ConocoPhillips refinery purchased by Delta Airlines is making a profit and is being expanded.

In political matters, Puppio said that the only race being contested in his bailiwick in the May 19 primary is Springfield’s 1st Ward Commissioner race and that the endorsed candidate is incumbent Ed Kelly.

He said he expects the Democrat County Council candidates to manage to get the 250 write-in votes needed in the primary to be on the ballot in November. The Democrat slate was knocked off the ballot after failing to provide the required documents to the proper people. Puppio said if they can’t follow those details they can’t be expected to follow the details in a $500 million county budget.

Springfield Commissioner President Jeff Rudolph of the 4th Ward said the new pool at the township Country Club is beautiful and has water jets for kids, lap lanes for adults, and a diving tank. He also praised the new lights on Saxer Avenue. He noted there was no township tax increase this year.

Wolf Budget Kills Delco And Pa For That Matter 

 

 

Kids’ Expo Is May 16

A Kids’ Expo sponsored by state Sen. Tom McGarrigle (R-26) will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, May 16 at the Gauntlett Center, 120 Media Line Road, Newtown Square, Pa. 19073. Kids' Expo Is May 16

Along with informational tables featuring representatives from state and county agencies and local organizations, there will be free refreshments, face paintings, games and a moon bounce.

Hat tip Delaware County Patriots

Kids’ Expo Is May 16

Scott Wagner Warns Ship Going Down

Scott Wagner Warns Ship Going Down
State Sen. Scott Wagner (right) with Joe Gale who is a candidate for Montgomery County Commissioner

State Sen. Scott Wagner (R-28) compared Pennsylvania to the Titanic with disaster just ahead at tonight’s (April 6) meeting of the Delaware County Patriots.

About 100 persons attended the event which was held at the Knights of Columbus hall in Newtown Square.

“The ship is going down and we got to do something about it,” Wagner said.

He was referring to Pennsylvania’s fiscal crisis driven by out-of-control state pensions and spiraling property taxes.

He blamed the cause on corruption giving special scorn to those on his side of the aisle. Wagner, who started three successful businesses in York County that now employ 600 persons, described how GOP leaders would hit him up for money at campaign time and that he would write ever bigger checks. Yet, he noted, the simple things that should have made life easier for himself and his employees never seemed to happen.

“They weren’t taking care of you,” he says. “They were taking care of themselves.”

This inspired him to seek office and in a special election on March 18, 2014, he ran a write-in campaign to fill the remainder of the term left vacant by late State Senator Mike Waugh.  It was the first time a write-in candidate won a state senate seat. Wagner got 10,595 votes (47.7 percent), while the endorsed Republican nominee received 5,920 votes and Democratic nominee got 5,704.

He won an election to a full-term in November.

Wagner notes that in the private sector pensions rarely reach 40 percent of the working pay. He said in the public sector in this state it is approaching 80 percent. He notes that average pay for a teacher in his school district is $88,000 for 180 days of work and they can look forward to getting $75,000 per year for the rest of their life upon retirement. This would be  at age 60 after 30 years, or earlier after 35 years.

He said that it angers him to see soldiers coming home from overseas in wheelchairs missing limbs knowing they could look forward to $800 per month in benefits when retired teachers would be getting over $6,000.

He said if things don’t change benefits and wages would soon be dollar for dollar.

“If Pennsylvania could file for bankruptcy, I’d be the first to prepare a bill,” he said.

Wagner proposed specific solutions. He said abolishing the prevailing wage mandate that requires wages for public works projects be set by the union-dominated Department of Labor and Industry rather than the market would save school districts between $200 million and $300 million annually.

He said he will not vote for a state budget unless the state gets rid of prevailing wage.

Wagner is also pushing to turn the state pension programs into 401K defined contribution types rather than the existing defined benefit packages.

He said he is also working on ways in which force give-backs in the existing benefits package.

A related issue that he is also trying to address is the cause of the corruption that led to this crisis.

He noted that he has been targeted by Pennsylvania AFL-CIO leader Rick Bloomingdale for his push for paycheck protection for union members. He said that about $750 annually is automatically deduction from each union member’s paycheck with the members having little say for which causes the money should be used.

The state’s AFL-CIO has about 800,000 members, so that’s about $600 million that winds up supporting not-so-pro labor causes like opening borders and stopping pipelines.

Wagner pointed out that Bloomingdale’s salary is over $300,000.

Wagner mentioned that he had a recent lunch with presidential hopeful Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker who was notably successful in stopping union corruption in his state. Wagner said the big difference between Wisconsin and Pennsylvania is that unlike in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin Republicans did not get any union money.

“Eighty percent of Republicans take money from unions,” Wagner said.

Wagner said he is far from making an endorsement but that he likes Walker

Wagner said  that he is pushing for the sale of the state’s liquor stores.

“State liquor stores aren’t making the kind of money people think they are,” he said.

In a bit of irony, Wagner is now running the Senate Republican Campaign Committee which so bitterly fought him a year ago. He said that he has his eye on several Democrat seats in the western part of the state and expect to flip four or five to the GOP in 2016. The Republicans now hold a 30-20 lead in the body but Wagner notes that four or five from the Philadelphia suburbs often end up supporting the Democrats.

It was rather daring that Wagner would make his speech on his adversaries’ turf.

Wagner did have some nice things to say about Dominic Pileggi (R-9) who he was instrumental in removing as Senate Majority Leader earlier this year.

“I think he’s a brilliant guy,” he said.

He said Pileggi’s weak spot was that his training as a lawyer kept him from seeing the steps needed to save the state.

Pileggi is running for election as a Common Pleas Court judge this fall and would leave his senate seat if he should win as expected. Wagner said he expects a more conservative senator to replace Pileggi.

Wagner got some grief in the question period regarding his support for SB 76, a bill that was tabled last fall and would have replaced the property tax with either an income or sales tax to fund schools. Many members in the audience said they feared it would mean the end of local control of schools. Wagner said the bill was not perfect, is not likely to pass as is, and needs further work.

He said property tax relief is desperately needed, however, and SB 76 gets things moving.

Wagner said he does not expect a state budget to be passed until October. He said any claims that the government is going to shut down are “bullshit” a word he repeated several times. He noted that the state is still going to be collecting taxes whether the budget is passed or not.

Also at the meeting was Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Paul Panepinto who was seeking support for his independent run as a state Supreme Court judge. Judge Panepinto needs 17,000 signatures by July to get on the ballot. He recently made headlines for fining lawyer Nancy Raynor $1 million for her behavior during a medical malpractice case.

Wagner gave him a ringing endorsement calling him the “real deal”.

Scott Wagner Warns Ship Going Down 

 

 

 

 

 

State Worker Pensions Extreme In Pa.

By Sen. Scott Wagner State Worker Pensions Extreme In Pa.

Beginning on Monday, March 16 and concluding yesterday, April 2, the Senate Appropriations committee held 35 hearings at which time each state department acting secretary testified to the committee as to their specific department budget for the 2015-2016 year.

Sen. Pat Browne from Lehigh County is the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Sen. Browne is a certified public accountant and attorney. He also was a tax manager for Coopers and Lybrand from 1990 to 1994 and a tax supervisor for Price Waterhouse from 1986 to 1990.

I would like to point out that I am impressed with Sen. Browne’s leadership on the Appropriations Committee, his level of expertise in tax matters, his knowledge of the law as it relates to the budget and his knowledge of the Pennsylvania budget.

I am also honored to be working with other senate members who have spent a great deal of time and effort getting a grasp on Governor Wolf’s breathtaking budget.

The committee hearings were very informative and went into great depth of each department.

The area that I find most troubling is the excessive cost of benefits for state employees.

In the private sector world the percentage of benefits over and above an employee’s annual compensation would rarely ever exceed 50 percent and in most private sector industries the percentage is closer to 40 percent.

The documents show the largest driver of the benefits are health care and pension costs – they are wildly out of control.

For example, the Department of Corrections benefits are in the range of 73.5 percent to 79.3 percent over the annual compensation of each employee.

The average corrections worker makes approximately $55,911 annually – add on 73.5 percent for benefits for a grand total cost per corrections employee of $97,005 annually – the benefit cost is a staggering $41,095 per employee.

Using the private sector benefit factor of 50 percent on a corrections employee’s annual compensation of $55,911 annually the benefit cost would be $27,955 per year instead of $41,095 – a reduction of $13,949 per corrections employee.

The Department of Corrections has 14,770 employees – multiply 14,770 employees times $13,949 per employee and the Department of Corrections is paying at least $206 million dollars more in benefits than the private sector using a 50 percent benefit factor.

If I used a 40 percent benefit factor instead of 50 percent the state is paying $276 million dollars more than the private sector just for the Department of Corrections.

The Department of Corrections is only one department and the silent creeping of benefit costs for PA state employees is why we are financially where we are today.

Include all departments in the state and PA is clearly paying in excess of $1 billion dollars annually more than the private sector and has been creeping up for years – this year just happens to be the year to pay up.

I will continue to send any pertinent budget information to you all as we get closer to the June 30  budget deadline.

My prediction is that we will not meet the June 30  budget deadline and it is going to be a long, hot summer in Harrisburg.

At this link are documents that detail the state departments benefit rates.

Sen. Wagner represents the 28th Pennsylvania Senate District.

State Worker Pensions Extreme In Pa.

Automatic Payroll Deductions For Senate Elections?

Automatic Payroll Deductions For GOP?
Sen. Don White, who is brilliantly illustrating the absurdity of automatic payroll deductions for political causes.

Pennsylvania State Sen. Don White (R-41) is circulating a memo among his Harrisburg peers proposing that money be automatically be deducted from the paychecks of senate staffers and placed directly in the coffers of the campaign committees respective parties.

Some are expressing outrage, OUTRAGE, we say.

Which is kind of White’s point. He does not want this — seriously or not. His goal is to illustrate that the remarkably unfair, authoritarian, banana republic policy he is suggesting is no different than what is in place regarding automatic payroll deductions for members of Pennsylvania public employee unions, whose leaders then use the money to support political candidates who  more often than not proponents of policies in direct conflict with the true interest of those in private labor force

Really, is shutting down refineries and mines, and  importing cheap Mexican labor in the interest of Pennsylvania workers? Well, that’s what the candidates that get the public union money support.

So how about it Sen. Tom McGarrigle? Are you getting behind Don White’s plan?  Doesn’t not having such a law  deprive choice from workers who want a (political party) with an effective political voice. 

Hat tip Matt Brouilette.

Pennsylvania Senate Hall of Shame

Scott Wagner has created a Pennsylvania Senate Hall of Shame
State Sen. Scott Wagner (R-28)

The Pennsylvania State Senate now has a Hall of Shame, believe it or not.

Sen. Scott Wagner, yesterday, March 17, noted in a column celebrating the first anniversary of his historic write-in win over a party-endorsed candidate to represent the 28th District that among his accomplishments was installation of plaques underneath the portraits hanging in the Capitol of former lawmakers that were convicted of abusing their office.

“The plaques tell the story of the lawmaker’s conviction so that viewers are made aware of the shame brought to the Commonwealth by these individuals,” he said.

Great job and great idea.

Pennsylvania Senate Hall of Shame

Party Boss Gets Schooled In York County

Union Boss Gets Schooled In York County by Sen. Scott Wagner
Sen. Scott Wagner (R-28)

By Sen. Scott Wagner (R-28)

Yesterday (March 11) morning I had a handful of protestors at my Senate district office in York criticizing me over the principled stances that I have been taking in Harrisburg on your behalf, including my efforts to enact Paycheck Protection legislation to prevent taxpayers from paying to collect political money for government unions.

During the demonstration, York County’s Democratic Party Chairman Bob Kefeaver made the claim to me that unions cannot use their member dues for political purposes under current law.

To hear his exact words, click here and you will be taken to York Daily Record reporter Ed Mahon’s website where you can listen for yourself (it is the second video down).

Chairman Kefauver either knows that his comment is untrue or is completely naive as to how dues money is used.

Union dues that have been deducted from teacher paychecks that are sent to the PSEA (Pennsylvania State Education Association) are repeatedly used for political activities – even drawing national attention to this issue by Yahoo News.

The Yahoo News article notes that Mary Trometter, an assistant professor of culinary arts at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board alleging the state’s largest teachers’ union violated a law that says union funds cannot be used to support political candidates.

The PSEA sent a personalized letter to her husband asking him to “join Mary” in voting for Tom Wolf, even though she did not support Tom Wolf and never specified who she was voting for to her union.

In addition, the PSEA acknowledged that similar letters were sent to other PSEA members’ spouses.

Also noted in the Yahoo News article, the November edition of the PSEA magazine featured numerous pro-Wolf ads, potentially violating the Public Employees Relations Act.

And this is just one incident – under the recent Citizens United Supreme Court decision, the dues portion of member dues is eligible for use in SuperPACs.

It is time to correct the lie that union dues are not used for political purposes and put an end to using taxpayer resources to collect money used for political purposes.

In addition, Mr. Kefauver wanted to challenge me over the minimum wage issue and the fact that some people are just unemployable because they cannot pass a drug test and they do not show up for work.

I asked Mr. Kefauver, “How many people do you employ?”

“I don’t employ anybody,” Mr. Kefauver replied.

As an employer, I live with these issues every day.

I have a tough time listening to criticism from someone who does not have first hand experience with it.

That being said, I am not going to let a handful of union protestors intimidate me into backing off of fighting for you and I have every intention of seeing Paycheck Protection make it across the finish line.

Party Boss Gets Schooled In York County

Ed note: I misread Sen. Wagner’s column.  The headline has been corrected and my comment below edited.

McGarrigle Explains Opposition To Mary’s Law, Poorly

Sen. Tom McGarrigle (R-26) sent the following letter, March 9, in response to a constituent query regarding his opposition to Mary’s Law or SB 501: McGarrigle Explains Opposition To Mary's Law, Poorly

Dear Constituent:

Thank you for contacting my office to question why I voted against the legislation that would enact “Mary’s Law”, also known as paycheck protection.  This legislation has been introduced as Senate Bill 501.  To be accurate, I did not vote against Senate Bill 501.  On March 2, 2015, I voted against a proposed amendment to the bill.  Senate Bill 501 has not yet been advanced for a vote on final passage.  I do, however, intend to vote against the bill should that event occur.

I believe Senate Bill 501 unfairly singles out state and school employees.  Union members and non-members already enjoy a well-established legal right not to contribute to union political spending.  Unions cannot force employees to have money for representation or political activities automatically deducted from their paycheck without authorization. Paycheck-protection legislation does not provide workers’ with any rights they do not currently enjoy, but it deprives choice from workers who want a union with an effective political voice.  Finally, I cannot justify Senate Bill 501 on the rationale that it will save money, since payroll deduction has almost zero cost to taxpayers.

Thank you again for contacting me in regard to my position on this issue.
 
Sincerely,

Thomas J. McGarrigle, Senator

OK, some background. Mary’s Law is named for Mary Trometter, a professor at Pennsylvania College of Technology, in Williamsport and a 20-year member of the Pennsylvania State Education Association which is the state’s main teachers union.

Just days before the Nov. 4 election, leaders from the national and state teachers unions sent a letter to her husband, urging him to “Please join Mary in in voting for Tom Wolf for Governor.”

Mary had no plans on voting for Wolf. She initially ripped it up and threw it in the trash then started thinking about it.  She investigated and found out that the letter was sent using money from the  NEA Advocacy Fund.

Now, Sen. McGarrigle is correct in the sense that that state law says “no employe(e) organization shall make any contribution out of the funds of the employe(e) organization either directly or indirectly to any political party or organization or in support of any political candidate for public office.”

So, um, why did Mary’s husband get the letter? The union says the law doesn’t apply to communications with members of the union. LOL.

Mary also found that the PSEA publication The Voice, which is funded with union dues,  took a strong pro-Wolf stand. She thought that was kind of unfair as well as she obviously couldn’t stop her dues from being used to pay for the union’s newsletter.

How about Sen. McGarrigle, you do what’s really fair and just end the automatic deduction of dues from public employee paychecks? If the union actually provides value for its members it will do just fine. If not, well, look what happened in Wisconsin.

People not being made to pay for something they don’t believe is the definition of fairness.

Question Sen. McGarrigle: If Scott Walker is the Republican nominee will you campaign for him.

Here is Mary Trometter explaining Mary’s Law:

McGarrigle Explains Opposition To Mary’s Law, Poorly

Scott Wagner Visits Delco Enemy Turf

Scott Wagner Visits Delco Enemy Turf
Scott Wagner will speak in Delaware County on April 6.

The Republican who has become an outspoken critic of the GOP’s Delaware County contingent in the Pennsylvania Senate will be speaking on enemy turf, Monday, April 6.

Scott Wagner of York County and the 28th District will address the Delaware County Patriots, 7 p.m., in the Knight of Columbus Hall, 327 N. Newtown Street Road (Route 252), Newtown Square, Pa. 19073.

The hall is in the 26th District which is represented by newcomer Tommy McGarrigle, who was one of the five Wagner called out last week for opposing a rather mild pro-worker measure called Mary’s Law, which would have prevented state public employee unions from using the money automatically deducted from worker’s salaries for political campaigns.

The bill, SB 501, failed due to opposition from the Philadelphia-area Republicans.

Wagner, in his missive, was especially harsh on McGarrigle’s fellow Delco Republican, Dominic Pileggi of the 9th District,  saying that since losing his leadership post he is a bitter person and will do anything to undermine the PA State Senate’s new leadership; and John Rafferty of the 44th District (Montco, Checo and Berks) saying he is is self-serving and badly wants to be Pennsylvania’s Attorney General.

So, how do you really feel, Sen Wagner?

The Patriots say invitations have been sent to the Delaware County legislators to attend the event.

It should be fun.

RSVPs are required and can be made here.

Scott Wagner Visits Delco Enemy Turf