by ctrabs74
I originally posted this in one of my other groups that I'm involved in. This is the background over the controversial Silverliner V contract and all the connections that caused Kawasaki (and others) to cry foul.
I'll sum it up as best as I can (most of this was posted at my Frankford Terminal blog). Note that bold face names are SEPTA Board members:
State GOP Chairman big-wig Alan Paul Novak of Chester County was hired by UTS/Rotem as a lobbyist to presumably approach heavy hitters in Harrisburg and reach out to SEPTA Board members in Chester County (Novak was the former Chester County GOP chairman before his (ahem) promotion). One of Novak's law partners at Conrad O'Brien Gellman & Rohn, LLC is SEPTA Board member James J. Rohn.
One of Novak's biggest allies is Pa. GOP National Committeman Robert Asher, who was convicted of corruption charges back in the late 1980s (this was the infamous case in which then-State Treasurer Budd Dwyer committed suicide at a live press conference). A few years ago, Asher was appointed by Montgomery County Commissioners to serve on the SEPTA Board to replace GOP outcast Mario Mele (who, for whatever reason, pissed off the wrong people in Norristown, as he was replaced on the 1999 Commissioners ticket by James (brother of MSNBC's Chris) Matthews). Asher's appointment was essentially blocked by MontCo DA (and Attorney General candiate) Bruce Castor.
Asher eventually was replaced by then-Cheltenham Twp Supervisor (and current MontCo Commissioner Thomas Jay Ellis, who is an attorney at the politically powerful Center City law firm Ballard Sphar Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. Ballard Sphar was one of the law firms retained by UTS/Rotem as part of the lobbying process. (On a side note, there is still some deep animosity between Asher and Castor, as Asher is using his influence to back a candidate from Western Pa. for the GOP nomination for AG.)
Asher also carries significant influence over MontCo's other Board member, Michael O'Donoghue, who chairs the Whitpain Twp GOP Committee (that's the Blue Bell area), along with two legislative appointees: Sen. Stewart Greenleaf (R-12) and Frank G. McCartney, who is also the executive director of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (which operates the river crossings north of the Burlington-Bristol Bridge).
McCartney was recently involved in a bit of controversy regarding gifts from contractors, including vacations at high class resorts in Florida (the link below offers a detailed article which ran in the Allentown Morning Call; scroll down to the October 12 entry entitiled SEPTA BOARD MEMBER IN POSSIBLE ETHICS FLAP http://frankfordterminal.blogspot.com/2 ... chive.html
Another heavy hitter with reported ties in this deal is Al Mezaroba, who is closely allied with State Sen. Vince Fumo (D-1/Peco Energy and other Corporate Interests). One of Fumo's biggest allies in City Council is Frank DiCicco (D-1/South Philadelphia & River Wards), whose son, Christian DiCicco is the CEO of an outfit called CA Holdings, Inc., which Philadelphia City Paper describes as "the for-profit subsidiary of Citizens Alliance" (26 Sept. 02 City Paper). Citizens Alliance has been in the middle of a huge controversy regarding recent multi-million dollar donations by Peco Energy (among others). Christian DiCicco is also a $65K/year staffer for Sen. Fumo, and is a licenesed attorney.
Two of Mezaroba's fishing buddies are Bucks County GOP boss Harry Fawkes and a pretty important person on the SEPTA Board by the name of Pasquale T. Deon, Sr., who just so happens to be the chairman of the SEPTA Board. Mezaroba was also hired by UTS/Rotem as a lobbyist for the Silverliner V project.
Officials from Rotem - presumably through Philadelphia-based interests - was a major financial contributor to the 2002 campaign of Gov. Edward G. Rendell (D-Pa./Comcast SportsNet). Officials from Rotem and another Korean based company were guests of Rendell at the inauguration. Rendell's appointee, by the way, is Denise Smyler, who is also an attorney.
Even SEPTA's former GM, Jack Leary, is in on the project. Leary was hired by UTS/Rotem to work with SEPTA staff on behalf of the company, presumably to get Rotem into a better position within SEPTA.
And this, by the way, is just what we know so far. Once those disclosure forms have been release (assuming that SEPTA staff doesn't do some creative editing), there may be more coming out of this mess.
Now that SEPTA has settled the suit with Kawasaki, I guess we're never going to know any of the juicy details involved with this controversy. At least not officially...
I'll sum it up as best as I can (most of this was posted at my Frankford Terminal blog). Note that bold face names are SEPTA Board members:
State GOP Chairman big-wig Alan Paul Novak of Chester County was hired by UTS/Rotem as a lobbyist to presumably approach heavy hitters in Harrisburg and reach out to SEPTA Board members in Chester County (Novak was the former Chester County GOP chairman before his (ahem) promotion). One of Novak's law partners at Conrad O'Brien Gellman & Rohn, LLC is SEPTA Board member James J. Rohn.
One of Novak's biggest allies is Pa. GOP National Committeman Robert Asher, who was convicted of corruption charges back in the late 1980s (this was the infamous case in which then-State Treasurer Budd Dwyer committed suicide at a live press conference). A few years ago, Asher was appointed by Montgomery County Commissioners to serve on the SEPTA Board to replace GOP outcast Mario Mele (who, for whatever reason, pissed off the wrong people in Norristown, as he was replaced on the 1999 Commissioners ticket by James (brother of MSNBC's Chris) Matthews). Asher's appointment was essentially blocked by MontCo DA (and Attorney General candiate) Bruce Castor.
Asher eventually was replaced by then-Cheltenham Twp Supervisor (and current MontCo Commissioner Thomas Jay Ellis, who is an attorney at the politically powerful Center City law firm Ballard Sphar Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. Ballard Sphar was one of the law firms retained by UTS/Rotem as part of the lobbying process. (On a side note, there is still some deep animosity between Asher and Castor, as Asher is using his influence to back a candidate from Western Pa. for the GOP nomination for AG.)
Asher also carries significant influence over MontCo's other Board member, Michael O'Donoghue, who chairs the Whitpain Twp GOP Committee (that's the Blue Bell area), along with two legislative appointees: Sen. Stewart Greenleaf (R-12) and Frank G. McCartney, who is also the executive director of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (which operates the river crossings north of the Burlington-Bristol Bridge).
McCartney was recently involved in a bit of controversy regarding gifts from contractors, including vacations at high class resorts in Florida (the link below offers a detailed article which ran in the Allentown Morning Call; scroll down to the October 12 entry entitiled SEPTA BOARD MEMBER IN POSSIBLE ETHICS FLAP http://frankfordterminal.blogspot.com/2 ... chive.html
Another heavy hitter with reported ties in this deal is Al Mezaroba, who is closely allied with State Sen. Vince Fumo (D-1/Peco Energy and other Corporate Interests). One of Fumo's biggest allies in City Council is Frank DiCicco (D-1/South Philadelphia & River Wards), whose son, Christian DiCicco is the CEO of an outfit called CA Holdings, Inc., which Philadelphia City Paper describes as "the for-profit subsidiary of Citizens Alliance" (26 Sept. 02 City Paper). Citizens Alliance has been in the middle of a huge controversy regarding recent multi-million dollar donations by Peco Energy (among others). Christian DiCicco is also a $65K/year staffer for Sen. Fumo, and is a licenesed attorney.
Two of Mezaroba's fishing buddies are Bucks County GOP boss Harry Fawkes and a pretty important person on the SEPTA Board by the name of Pasquale T. Deon, Sr., who just so happens to be the chairman of the SEPTA Board. Mezaroba was also hired by UTS/Rotem as a lobbyist for the Silverliner V project.
Officials from Rotem - presumably through Philadelphia-based interests - was a major financial contributor to the 2002 campaign of Gov. Edward G. Rendell (D-Pa./Comcast SportsNet). Officials from Rotem and another Korean based company were guests of Rendell at the inauguration. Rendell's appointee, by the way, is Denise Smyler, who is also an attorney.
Even SEPTA's former GM, Jack Leary, is in on the project. Leary was hired by UTS/Rotem to work with SEPTA staff on behalf of the company, presumably to get Rotem into a better position within SEPTA.
And this, by the way, is just what we know so far. Once those disclosure forms have been release (assuming that SEPTA staff doesn't do some creative editing), there may be more coming out of this mess.
Now that SEPTA has settled the suit with Kawasaki, I guess we're never going to know any of the juicy details involved with this controversy. At least not officially...
Creighton Rabs
Tacony - 10 minutes to train or trackless; can't beat it.
Tacony - 10 minutes to train or trackless; can't beat it.
