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"Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees;
and both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people." - Henry Clay, 1829
"Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees;
and both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people." - Henry Clay, 1829
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A Taxpayer’s View of Stephen StetlerDecember 23, 2009 Only in Pennsylvania can you vote for an illegal pay raise, refuse to pay it back, receive a “pension bounce,” and get promoted to Secretary of Revenue. Former-Rep. Stephen Stetler (D-York) collected $9,189 in “unvouchered expenses,” never paid the loot back, but donated the money to “undisclosed charities.” The General Assembly passed and Gov. Ed Rendell signed Act 72 of 2005 repealing the raise on November 16, 2005. Act 72, however, did not require those who had received increased salaries to return the funds. Back in November 2005, Mr. Stetler said he had no plans to return the “unvouchered expenses” he received. I searched for Mr. Stetler at his Capitol office on December 1, 2005 - no luck. He did not return two calls I made to his district office in York on Friday December 2, 2005 regarding the repayment of “unvouchered expenses.” Mr. Stetler announced his resignation on July 17, 2006 rather than run for reelection after polls showed him losing to Republican candidate Karen Emenheiser. Way to man-up! (source) The York delegation bemoaned the loss of the power player who helped “to funnel more than $100 million into his district over 16 years...When the proposed Greenway Tech Centre was about to collapse, state Rep. Steve Stetler quietly convinced Gov. Rendell to increase state funding from $3 million to $5 million.” Rendell, now a character advocate for Mr. Stetlter, called Mr. Stetler “a glutton.” Daily Record/Sunday News, July 19, 2006. On July 20, 2006, RocktheCapital.org issued a statement regarding the outgoing legislator and auto dealer: "Mr. Stetler’s resignation makes it clear that we need legislation mandating repayment of ‘unvouchered expenses’ to the Department of Treasury. Mr. Stetler joins a growing club of House retirees who will profit from the repealed pay raise for decades to come. Imagine how Mr. Stetler would feel if you drove a car off of his lot without making a payment?” (source) On September 14, 2006, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that “unvouchered-expenses” violated the state constitution, but did not order recipients to pay the money back. Stetler stepped down as a legislator on September 29, 2006 to take over as executive director of the Pennsylvania Economy League. His monthly pension was $3,499, and Mr. Stetler’s approximate lump-sum withdrawal from SERS was $75,000. (source) Mr. Stetler was also a financial watchdog for PHEAA. In 2000 he retreated to the Homestead Spa with his wife who was among several spouses who attended the $583 cooking lesson. “Expenses for eight retreats billed under Settler's or his wife's name and paid for by the state-related agency included a $163.59 phone bill, and $27 for ‘1/2 bottle of vodka’ from a hotel room mini-bar.” (source) When Mr. Stetler assumed the duties as Secretary of Revenue he declared: "I come with a clean slate right now, and I look forward to learning more about the progress that's been made in the 16 years since I left (the department)." I’m still waiting for Mr. Stetler to return his illegal pay raise, readjust his “pension bump” downward, and tell us where he stashed the bottle of vodka. Is this a great state or what?
Sincerely,
Eric J. Epstein,
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