Plans to raise a million dollars in 2011, help 30 candidates get elected in 2012

The Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania (CAP) unveiled its updated website and new video Tuesday, highlighting its contributions in the November elections and legislative goals for the upcoming year.

Joe Sterns, executive director of and lobbyist for CAP, said the non-profit organization plans to work with governor-elect Tom Corbett and is pushing for state legislators to take a no-WAMs pledge.

Joe Sterns and John Kennedy

“Legislatively we want to actually help Gov. Corbett push the items on his agenda consistent with our values,” said Mr. Sterns. “We see those as being: selling the state liquor stores, dramatically eliminating the waste from state government such that we can hold the line on state taxes [and] school choice. To the extent Gov. Corbett and/or the General Assembly isn’t aggressive enough…we’ll fill the void.”

WAMs, or walking around money, was a hotly contested legislative perk during 2009 when legislators passed the budget 101 days overdue and were compensated for personal expenses during that period, including food and hotel costs, in lieu of their salaries.

Mr. Sterns and the CAP’s chairman, former state Rep. John Kennedy, put a strong focus on the nine successful candidates CAP assisted during last year’s elections, including new state Rep. Justin Simmons (R – Lehigh) who at 23 beat incumbent state Rep. Karen Beyer in the Republican primary.

Ms. Beyer was the only Republican to be endorsed by the AFL-CIO, and CAP also put a strong emphasis on her status as one of five Republicans to vote in favor of Mr. Rendell’s most recent “tax-hiking” budget, said Mr. Sterns.

In “the General Election we endorsed 12 candidates,” said Mr. Sterns. “Nine of them won, eight in the [state] House. Six of them are not taking the defined benefit pension. That’s the draw into the ‘Iron Triangle,’ to place re-election above everything else.”

CAP defines the “Iron Triangle” as being composed of career politicians, bureaucrats and special interests groups, including trial lawyers and labor unions.

Mr. Sterns said the organization supports legislators declining participation in the public defined benefits pension plan as a step in the right direction, so they could complete their service in the state House and/or state Senate and then “go back to live under the laws they created.”

The six legislators CAP assisted during the election who also declined the state’s pension plan are: Mr. Simmons; Sen. Mike Folmer (R – Berks); Rep. Stephen Bloom (R – Cumberland); Rep. George Dunbar (R – Westmoreland); Rep. Rick Saccone (R – Allegheny); and Rep. Dan Truitt (R – Chester).

Mr. Sterns said the important point was six of the nine candidates CAP helped get elected declined the pension and argued they would lead by example to convince other legislators to do the same.

“The key part is the almost dozen who now don’t take the pension,” said Mr. Sterns. “That’s 12 people inside this building leading by example and when there were only one or two, it’s harder to persuade. Now you have 12 ambassadors of self service under this dome to make that conversion.”

Mr. Kennedy said the organization is already seeking out “thoroughbred candidates” for the next election cycle and Mr. Sterns said they are working to get 30 new legislators elected in 2012. According to Mr. Sterns, candidates are sent a survey evaluating their position on key issues to CAP, including right-to-work, school choice, term limits and controls on state spending. The organization then evaluates the information in a database to determine which candidates it will support.

On average, CAP-funded candidates in the November elections received $10,000 in support through radio ads and direct mail. During 2010, the organization raised $500,000 – but Mr. Sterns said the goal for 2011 is to raise $1 million.

“We think the culture of the General Assembly needs to change,” said Mr. Sterns. “Harrisburg, like Washington, can’t change the peoples’ problems until the people fix Harrisburg’s problems… This is not going to happen overnight but CAP is off to a wonderful start.”

Mr. Sterns and Mr. Kennedy declined to name who funds their organization based on their 501(c)3 status.