Activist inflates pink pigs to protest pay grab, perks
A 25-foot-long inflatable pink pig briefly made its area debut outside the Douglassville offices of a veteran Pennsylvania lawmaker.
The political publicity stunt by citizen activist Gene Stilp came to an abrupt end when the owner of the building demanded that Stilp remove the pig -- and himself -- from private property.
Stilp, who has driven across Pennsylvania with the pig in the backseat of his 1992 Buick, is stopping at district offices of legislative leaders to remind voters that the legislators voted themselves a pay raise last year and some never gave the money back when the raise was repealed.
The most recent target was state Rep. Dennis Leh, a Republican who rents office space in a commercial building off Route 662 in Douglassville.
The pig, once fully inflated, blocked the entrance to the building's parking lot. A large banner on the side of the pig read: "The Legislative Perk Barrel Game That The Voters Pay For." Stilp inflated a smaller piglet to bring attention to the legislature's lucrative pension plans.
Minutes after inflating the 15-foot-tall pig as part of the "Squeal or No Squeal Tour," Stilp was forced to deflate the pig and end his impromptu press conference in mid-sentence when the owner of the building rushed into the parking lot and demanded that Stilp and his pig leave the premises.
Stilp, a Harrisburg-area Democrat and candidate for lieutenant governor, complied with the landlord’s instructions and packed the pig back into his Buick.
Leh was not in his office and missed the pig display. Stilp left a message with Leh's office manager asking the longtime state representative to return any money collected as "unvouchered expenses" during the four months the pay raise was in effect last summer, and also pass legislation prohibiting politicians from collecting higher pensions as a result of the temporary spike in their salaries.
About 30 state legislators who retired this year rather than face the voters will get higher pensions because they voted themselves pay raises last year, according to Stilp, who has also challenged the practice of "unvouchered expenses" in court.
Leh, a Republican who has served in the state legislature for 20 years, is seeking re-election to another two-year term in the 130th District.
He is being challenged in the May 16 primary by Bill Reed, a Fleetwood-area business owner who is affiliated with PaCleanSweep, a group that is calling for the defeat of all incumbent state legislators and significant reforms in the way the legislature conducts business. David Kessler, a Democrat, will face the primary winner in November.
Stilp has driven the giant pink pig thousands of miles, criss-crossing Pennsylvania to bring attention to the lucrative salary and benefits legislators have voted themselves.
Stilp is targetting legislative leaders and incumbent legislators who may be vulnerable in 2006.
Recent stops included Philadelphia, where he set up the pig in front of House Speaker John Perzel's office, Hamburg, which has district offices for four legislative leaders: Sen. Chip Brightbill, Sen. James Rhodes, Rep. Bob Allen and Rep. David Argall, and Altoona, where Senate Pro Tempore Robert Jubilirer has his district office.
What many voters don't know is that the unvouchered expenses that were returned by legislators went into slush funds controlled by legislative leaders instead of the state treasury, Stilp said.
"Leh can get the unvouchered expenses back through a side door by playing ball with the leadership," Stilp said. "Harrisburg continues to be a cesspool. The legislators think of themselves first and the people second. It should be the other way around."
Stilp also took a few swipes at Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll, who is seeking re-election to another four-year term and has the support of Gov. Ed Rendell.
Knoll, who is 75 and has exhibited erratic behavior at several public appearances, is "totally incapable of stepping into the governor’s shoes" should something happen to Rendell, Stilp said.
Stilp also questioned what Knoll does with her time as lieutenant governor.
"She spent $8 million over the past four years and what do you have for it? Nothing," Stilp said.
Stilp, who has a law degree but doesn't practice law, also filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the July 2005 legislative pay raise. That case is before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, but a decision is unlikely to be announced before the primary election, Stilp said.
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