Incumbent faces pay-raise issue
State Rep. Frank Dermody avoided a spring primary showdown about the legislative pay raise that helped topple 17 other incumbents in the General Assembly, but Dermody's "yes" vote on the pay increase could haunt him yet.
The Oakmont Democrat ran unopposed in the primary, but his opponent on Nov. 7, Republican Eileen Watt, is using the pay-raise vote against the eight-term incumbent in a bid to unseat him.
Another potentially thorny issue for Dermody was the disclosure by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that in July 2005, one week after voting for the pay raise, he picked up a $10,500 state reimbursement check for excess mileage on a leased 2001 Chevrolet Suburban.
"This further illustrates that he has used his position for self-serving purposes. I think he has a lot to explain, and this is part of it," Watt said. "He continues to say the pay raise was a mistake, but a better word for it is greed."
Dermody said his vote for the pay raise was a mistake, but it "absolutely" was not motivated by greed. He described Watt as "a single-issue candidate who has been a political operative her whole career."
"I voted for it, and, consistent with my vote to repeal it, I paid it all back," Dermody said. "I ask (constituents) to consider my record of 16 years in office, what I've done, what I plan to do, and my vision for the valley and the region."
House lawmakers can collect reimbursements as long as two years later, which enabled Dermody to file for reimbursement more than a year after he turned in the Suburban. Taxpayers paid more than $800 a month for his ride, or about $150 a month more than the House's monthly lease cap.
His job "absolutely requires me to travel a great deal," to and from Harrisburg and within the district, Dermody said in a letter to the Trib. He said he has trimmed his expenses. He now leases a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer for $397 a month, instead of the $519 a month he billed for the Suburban.
The district in northeast Allegheny County includes all or part of East Deer, Fawn, Frazer, Harmar, Harrison, Indiana, Springdale and West Deer townships and the boroughs of Brackenridge, Cheswick, Oakmont, Plum, Springdale and Tarentum. It has 61,956 residents. Democrats outnumber Republicans 57 percent to 33 percent.
Watt, of Cheswick, a former member of Allegheny County Council and former political director for the county Republican Committee, said she would not use a state-provided car if she is elected, but would accept mileage reimbursements.
Watt, who pledges to "reform Harrisburg," has beaten similar odds before. She was elected to County Council in 2003. In a district where Democrats held a 2-to-1 voter registration edge over Republicans, she unseated then council President Rick Schwartz by campaigning largely on the issue of eliminating county row offices.
In his campaign, Dermody touts his work to increase the number of senior citizens eligible for the state's pharmaceutical assistance program, efforts to secure grants for development and support of property tax relief. The Legislature must address school funding, he said.
Watt said her campaign aims to "shut off the spigot that's draining our wallets through higher taxes." She cites job growth, lower health care costs, fighting crime and "creative solutions" to improve transportation without higher taxes as key issues. She supports reducing the size of the Legislature, term limits for legislative committee chairs and tighter controls on the gambling industry.
The candidates
Frank Dermody
• Party: Democratic
• Occupation: Member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives; lawyer
• Age: 55
Residence: Oakmont
• Family: Married; two children
• Education: Bachelor's degree in history from Columbia University; law degree from Indiana University, Bloomington.
• Political experience: Member of the House since 1991; seeking ninth successive term.
Eileen Watt
• Party: Republican
• Occupation: Finance consultant
• Age: 41
• Residence: Cheswick
• Family: Mother of two children.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in legal studies from Point Park University.
• Political experience: Elected to Allegheny County Council in 2003 and served until she resigned in January to run for the state House; previously served as political director for the Allegheny County Republican Committee.
