As we continue to read accounts of last week's criminal charges filed against state Rep. John Perzel, and others - all Republicans - what are we to make of them with respect to our area's own state Rep. Sam Smith of Punxsutawney, who represents Jefferson County and is the House Republican leader?
At this point, we're concerned.
We like Sam Smith. We have endorsed him several times. Though we have disagreed with him, we have never argued against his re-election, through 12 two-year terms.
But it is difficult to hear the accusations, without questioning either Smith's conduct or his judgment/competence.
Those accusations are more complex than last year's charges - still unproven - by state Attorney General Tom Corbett (a candidate for governor) against Democrats. He accuses Democrats of having used taxpayer money to pay bonuses to staff members for doing political re-election work on state time. Fairly straightforward.
The Republicans are accused of having spent millions on computer equipment to "analyze voter trends" and do other smelly but legal legislative tasks - and then secretly also programmed those computers to spit out political information invaluable to getting incumbent Republicans re-elected. Perzel and others are also accused of having paid staffers with state taxpayer money to do the political work.
True?
At this point, who knows?
But the Legislature has been smelly for decades. This, too, fails the smell test.
Back in 2005, when Smith led the effort to give lawmakers, judges and executive branch leaders an illegal increase in pay, we felt Smith put his loyalty to the fellow legislators with whom he has worked every day for more than 20 years ahead of his loyalty to the voters of Jefferson County and of Pennsylvania. Bad judgment, but not dishonesty.
We said then, and restate now, our disbelief that Smith is dishonest.
But as the No. 2 Republican to Perzel then, and the top Republican now, it strains credulity to assume that, if the charges against Perzel et al. are true, Smith didn't know. That, however, is what he says.
If Smith didn't know, then Smith wasn't doing his job.
That's hindsight. But there are certain obligations that come with the perquisites of leadership. "Following the money" is one of them.
We think Smith's House colleagues need to do their own examinations of the charges and evidence, and make their judgments.
So will we voters of Jefferson County.
- Denny Bonavita