Editorial for January 4, 2007 edition:


A silenced speaker

It’s time for John Perzel to give it up. In the wonderful world of Pennsylvania politics, he’s a loser and he knows it. If he hasn’t resigned from public office by the time this newspaper hits your doorstep, don’t be surprised if he calls it quits very soon.
With the bombshell news out of Harrisburg Tuesday afternoon — the dumping of the not-so-popular Perzel as speaker of the state House of Representatives in favor of everybody’s pal, the Far Northeast’s Dennis O’Brien — FORMER Speaker Perzel is now just a lowly representative. His ego is way too inflated for the gentleman from Lexington Park to have the stomach to keep his House seat. His ouster from the top spot was a vote of no-confidence, and he should do the honorable thing by resigning.
Make no mistake about it, Tuesday’s political earthquake in the state capital is an absolute repudiation of Perzel. Had he not helped orchestrate the legislature’s illegal pay raise in 2005 and then understated its wrongness even after it was repealed by his colleagues, Perzel likely would have held on to his speakership.
The Republicans are now a minority in the House by a single vote — not enough to assure anything, as Perzel now knows, and House Democrats probably couldn’t stomach the prospect of elevating their leader, William DeWeese, to speaker. DeWeese, after all, is the guy who punished colleagues who refused to go along with the illegal pay raise. It’s fitting that the pay raise has come back to bite both Perzel and DeWeese in their butts.
And, while it’s astounding that the majority Democrats failed to find a consensus Democrat worthy of 102 votes for speaker, O’Brien — aside from his pro-pay raise vote — is a very good pick. He will do us proud. Way to go, Denny! ••

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