School Board member takes on Santorum in residency issue

[corporatemedia]

Newsmaker: Erin Vecchio / Tolltaker who's taken on a senator in residency issue
Monday, November 22, 2004

By Eleanor Chute, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

No one would describe Erin Vecchio -- wife, mother, Democratic chairwoman in Penn Hills, Penn Hills school board member and turnpike toll collector -- as a wallflower.

"I open my mouth. I'm not quiet. I don't go away. Once I'm on you, I'm on you. I don't back down to anybody," she said.

Vecchio is taking on Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, who has listed his residence as Penn Hills ever since he and his wife, Karen, bought a two-bedroom house for $87,800 there in 1997.

<more>

Matt Freed, Post-Gazette

<snip>
Erin Vecchio has been complaining about the fact that the Penn Hills School District has been paying for Sen. Rick Santorum's children to go to a cyber charter school.

<snip>

Quote: "I went to Eat'n Park today with my mother. People were standing up and clapping for me."
<more>

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04327/415581.stm

[fortyfeetunder]

1. Sic' em Erin!

Go for the b*lls on that Sanscrotum guy. He needs to be found out.

[corporatemedia]

2. For complete santorum CYBERGATE SCANDAL Links and resources...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=175x2676

[VivaKerry]

3. All hail Mrs. Vecchio.

I hope others are realizing one very important and WONDERFUL opportunity here:

Santorum is not a resident of PA. He needs to be removed from representative office.

And we need to fight like dogs to make that happen.

One victory. One f'ing victory against these backward fascist bastids.

[SoCalDem]

4. I realize that once elected, a senator must move to DC, BUT

for the prior-to-election time, one must actually LIVE in the state they represent.. Where you LIVE is where you pay your electric bill (for your OWN family), where you buy your groceries, have your dry cleaning done, etc..

(see: DickCheney-from TEXAS..not WY)...

I "used to live in Kansas..was born there", but would I dare to run for office as a Kansan, after having been gone from there for 20 years?? No Way..

Some people will jump me over the Hillary/NY thing, but truthfully that did bother me a bit.. Granted, they own property there now and Bill lives there most of the time, so that's not really the same issue as "Little Ricky" and PA..

The key questions here ..

Did Little Ricky and the family EVER actually live in that fixer-upper that he uses to justify his residency? Did they EVER really live in PA at all?

Considering that only really rich (or really corrupt/owned) people can ever even get elected these days, does it really matter WHERE they come from or what state they "represent"? They really are just paid lobbyists who are in turn controlled by other lobbyists. Their "ticket to DC" is just a mechanism to get them there.. Once there they do the bidding of the corporations, and occasionally throw a few bones back to the "little people" who "sent" them there..

The whole thing stinks, because rich folks have the means to own/or buy property anywhere, so theoretically they are "from" many places.. Look at Mitt Romney.. He's from UTAH, yet he's governor of Massachusetts...

Liddy Dole had not "lived" in NC for AGES..

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. Florida is such a transient community, that it got overtaken by

Northerners right away. Just buy property for six months, then you can run for office. Feeney became a congressman with only 8 years of residence. He's from Pennsylvania.

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

7. Santorum's residency

"Did Little Ricky and the family EVER actually live in that fixer-upper that he uses to justify his residency? Did they EVER really live in PA at all?"

I thought he lived in Upper St. Clair or Mt. Lebanon, two of the wealthiest south suburbs of Pittsburgh. I could be wrong on this. If it was the case, however, he apparently sold the extremely expensive property he owned to a much lower costing mailbox rental in Penn Hills.

Dr Batsen D Belfry

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. The Dems need an Erin Vecchio Webpage.

We need to find the Erin Vecchio's across this country and we need to give them the support they need to organize the rest of us.

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

8. He was originally from Upper St. Clair

one of the wealthiest suburbs in Pittsburgh.

The Allegheny County Elections website from the 2000 election lists Santorum as being from Upper St. Clair.

http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/elect/200011gen/muni215.asp

Allegheny County recorded the purchase of the Penn Hills house in 1997

http://www2.county.allegheny.pa.us/RealEstate/History.asp?CurrBloLot=0367G00075000000&Name=Santorum&SingleResult=True

which basically means he personally could never have lived there. It would be interesting to determine when he bought the house in Virginia. Just found it. 1995, when he sold his Mt Lebanon home.

http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2004/11/16/editorial/editorial/daily01.txt

This would mean for two years between 1995 and 1997 he had no legal residence in Pennsylvania whatsoever. Shame he wasn;t sending his kids to a charter school then, becuase he would be toast on the issue for those two years.

Dr Batsen D Belfry

[SoCalDem]

9. When was he first elected?

He sold the St Clair home in 1995... His residency ENDED then.. He bought a "mail-drop", so he could continue to be paid by lobbyists.

His family has not "lived in PA" for almost TEN years.. He is NOT a PA citizen..

This whole thing stinks.. Too bad there are so many ignorant Pennsylvanians who keep sending him back..

I can understand how politicians would want their families to be with them, but once you permanently re-locate to the DC area, you are no longer a citizen of the state that sent you, UNLESS you maintain a primary residence, and actually spend time off there..WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS...SO YOU CAN RE-CONNECT WITH THEM AND KNOW WHAT THEY ARE THINKING...DUH !!!

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

10. According to the PA State Dept. of Revenue

If their Pennsylvania domicile has not been inhabited and both the spouse and taxpayer do not have PA Driver's Licenses, they are not considered residents by the state.

Not sure if this is the case or not. At the very least, he was not a resident of Pennsylvania from 1997 to some time in 1999 unless he owned property other than in Penn Hills and Mt. Lebanon. I assume he purchased the house in Penn Hills just for the 2000 election to say he was a resident, and hasn't gotten rid of it.

Interesting. Since he didn't live here and likely doesn't pay state taxes here based on his wages, that becomes "representation without taxation"

Dr Batsen D Belfry

[corporatemedia]

12. actually, he was from mt. lebanon ........

as shown in your third link and previously documented on DU at the santorum CYBERGATE SCANDAL Links post

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=175x2676

[74dodgedart]

11. This is why local elections are important

Democrats need to get the vote out for every election, not just the
Presidential elections..

[struggle4progress]

13. kick

:kick: