Bucks County Commissioners Bob Harvie and Diane Marseglia, Democrats who are seeking re-election, failed to file their Oct. 27 campaign report on time as required by law.
The Bucks County Republican Chairwoman Pat Poprik called them out on the state election law violation and asked, “What are they hiding?”
“On Friday, October 27th, the Election Campaign Committee for Bob Harvie and Diane Marseglia violated State Election Laws when it deliberately failed to file mandatory Campaign Finance Reports due on that date. These mandatory reports disclose both who has been contributing money to their re-election bid, as well as what they spent these funds on,” Poprik said.
“What are they hiding? Bucks County Voters are entitled to know!” she continued. “This flagrant violation of the Pennsylvania Election Code has continued now, without explanation, for more than a week. This is not the first time that Harvie and Marseglia have been a part of efforts to hide public records from the citizens of Bucks County.
“This year, a Bucks County Judge ordered that telephone and email records belonging to Harvie and Marseglia be turned over to county citizens who lawfully requested them after Harvie and Marseglia fought in Court to keep them secret.
“Now, the Committee to Re-Elect Harvie and Marseglia, called “Bucks United,” is deliberately and flagrantly ignoring the public disclosure requirements of the Pennsylvania Election Code by failing to report and disclose where the money funding their re-election campaign is really coming from,” Poprik said.
“Democrat Party bosses in Philadelphia and Harrisburg are desperate to exert their influence over Bucks County politics. The failures of decades of Philadelphia Democrat politicians and policies are directly impacting our quality of life in Bucks County as Philadelphia crime and criminals continue to creep into our neighborhoods. For them, it’s not about the people they represent – instead, it’s all about politics. How much of their money and their influence is contributing to the Harvie and Marseglia Campaign? Bucks County Voters have the right to know,” she added.
The Marseglia and Harvie campaign did not return requests for comment, and the Bucks County Democratic headquarters did not respond to messages.
DVJournal located a filing for Friends of Diane Marseglia, a separate PAC, which had $14,000 in contributions between June and Oct. 23. Contributors included the Southeast Realtors PAC, the Greater Pennsylvania Carpenters Union, Teamsters Local 0115, and Steamfitters Union Local 420. Friends of Diane Marseglia listed a $5,000 contribution to Bucks United on Oct. 18.
Gene DiGirolamo and Controller Pam Van Blunk, the Republicans running for county commissioner, said in a statement, “We are very disappointed by Commissioners Marseglia and Harvie’s violation of the campaign finance laws by failing to file the campaign finance reports for Bucks United, the committee paying for their campaign. They have decided that Bucks County voters are not entitled to know who has funded their campaign and what they have spent their campaign money on. Unfortunately, this is yet another example of a lack of transparency by Commissioners Marseglia and Harvie. Contrary to Pennsylvania law, Commissioners Marseglia and Harvie appointed a Philadelphia resident (who happened to be a major Democrat donor) to a mandatory Bucks County board position on the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
“Commissioners Marseglia and Harvie have consistently demonstrated they do not follow rules,” they added. “Whether it is failing to follow a Court Order to release public information to Right to Know Requests made by taxpayers or suing “mothers” who request transparency from our County government, both Commissioners Marseglia and Harvie have flaunted the rules for the last 4 years. This is just the culmination of what taxpayers have been experiencing under Commissioners Marseglia and Harvie.”
“One thing is clear – in the final days leading up to the November election, the Harvie and Marseglia campaign is breaking the law by its failure, for more than a week, to file its mandatory campaign finance report and its failure to identify who is really funding their campaign,” said Poprik.
