The campaign for House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese (D-Greene County) has released a new TV ad that criticizes remarks made by his opponent, Greg Hopkins, when he said the 50th Legislative District "has become sort of a welfare society" during a debate.
The 30-second spot, which the campaign said will air on cable and Pittsburgh network TV, starts by describing Hopkins as an outsider who has worked in Indianapolis, New York and California.
"We're not a welfare society, and he'd know that if he lived here," the spot's narrator says.
It's the kind of hard-hitting ad necessary for DeWeese as he battles in what most observers consider the fight of his political life. DeWeese beat Hopkins by little more than a thousand votes in 2006, and since then the majority leader has beset by "Bonusgate"
DeWeese himself was directly implicated earlier this month in the scandal when his former chief of staff, Mike Manzo, said he helped mastermind a plan that paid taxpayer-funded bonuses to legislative staffers in exchange for political work.
The longtime incumbent has denied any involvement.
Hopkins Is On Welfare!
It is funny Hopkins loses his job as an Arena Football Coach in LA, California and cannot do modeling anymore in New York, but holds no job in Pennsylvania except the one he claims he runs his Daddy Cattle Ranch all of a sudden and he calls Bill DeWeese dishonest?
The only one on Welfare in Greene County is Greg Hopkins and he is dishonest when Bill DeWeese has never been charged with anything and he keeps saying it repeatedly.
Shame on Hopkins!
Hopkins Is On Welfare!
It is funny Hopkins loses his job as an Arena Football Coach in LA, California and cannot do modeling anymore in New York, but holds no job in Pennsylvania except the one he claims he runs his Daddy Cattle Ranch all of a sudden and he calls Bill DeWeese dishonest?
The only one on Welfare in Greene County is Greg Hopkins and he is dishonest when Bill DeWeese has never been charged with anything and he keeps saying it repeatedly.
Shame on Hopkins!
Hopkins Is On Welfare!
It is funny Hopkins loses his job as an Arena Football Coach in LA, California and cannot do modeling anymore in New York, but holds no job in Pennsylvania except the one he claims he runs his Daddy Cattle Ranch all of a sudden and he calls Bill DeWeese dishonest?
The only one on Welfare in Greene County is Greg Hopkins and he is dishonest when Bill DeWeese has never been charged with anything and he keeps saying it repeatedly.
Shame on Hopkins!
Hopkins cannot even show up on the job he was given.
Only one candidate has missed only 9 days of service after working 33 years on behalf all people in Pennsylvania and that is Bill DeWeese of Waynesburg.
Only one candidate has not been able to vote 11 times in Pennsylvania and even work a month in the job he was appointed to do for Greene County residents and that is Greg Hopkins!
Fayette, Greene and Washington counties voters know that Bill DeWeese has been there for them since he was elected, and now Hopkins thinks he is entitled to it?
Trying buying home and living in the 5oth District before you for office from California.
Hopkins lives in California Not Pennsylvania?
If there is anybody that knows about Welfare it is those living in Los Angeles, not Greene County, Pennsylvania.
The Welfare costs for Los Angles is bigger than the Budgets of Greene, Fayette, and Washington counties combine.
How can Hopkins be so ignorant about us?
I never read anything on DeWeese mastermining Bonusgate.
I read where Manzo's "BELIEVED" Bill DeWeese knew about the bonuses, but he never offerred proff or even said Bill DeWeese MasterMinded it. That is an Outright lie!
The Grand Jury Report actually proved Bill DeWeese turned evidence over to the AG Office.
Somebody is out to get rid of Bill DeWeese and I suspect it the Philly Boys pumping money into Hopkins Campaign, they want Gun Control and want more money going to Philadelphia and only Bill DeWeese has been able to prevent both.
Hopkins is just a pawn they are using to make sure Greene County is no longer players in State Funding.
Hopkins is just a pawn they are using to make sure Greene County is no longer players in State Funding.
Why doesn't Hopkins stick to the issues of how he can help Greene County not hurt us by calling us names, so he can win an election.
I recently watched a video
I recently watched a video on pigeon shoots that claims DeWeese is the one not scheduling this bill to come up for a vote. What better way to protect this event and his buddies then to never let it get a chance to be voted on. Guess we know who is pulling his strings. Real hunters don't stand there while live animals are thrown or launched in front of a gun.
It's pretty clear that the
It's pretty clear that the previous comments are from friends and insiders of the DeWeese camp.
The 50th District is still a poor area thanks in large part to DeWeese's apathy and living large in Harrisburg. I "believe" that he will have difficulty outrunning Bonusgate when all is said and done.
Most folks I know from Greene Co and that area hit the ground running to get away from the poverty.
DeWeese no friend of homeowners
Bill DeWeese is a pompous, self-serving professional politician who has been in Harrisburg for too long.
According to the Quinnipiac Polling Institute, runaway property taxes are the most pressing issue facing Pennsylvanians today. DeWeese has repeatedly supported bogus "relief" bills that are tax increases in disguise, yet he keeps legislation for true property tax reform through elimination bottled up in the Appropriations Committee without allowing debate or a vote.
Greg Hopkins is a supporter of HB 1275, the School Property Tax Elimination Act, and has been endorsed by the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations.
DeWeese is NOT a friend of Pennsylvania taxpayers. It is time for him to be replaced by someone who understands the pain of Pennsylvania homeowners.
DeWeese no friend of homeowners
Bill DeWeese is a pompous, self-serving professional politician who has been in Harrisburg for too long.
According to the Quinnipiac Polling Institute, runaway property taxes are the most pressing issue facing Pennsylvanians today. DeWeese has repeatedly supported bogus "relief" bills that are tax increases in disguise, yet he keeps legislation for true property tax reform through elimination bottled up in the Appropriations Committee without allowing debate or a vote.
Greg Hopkins is a supporter of HB 1275, the School Property Tax Elimination Act, and has been endorsed by the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations.
DeWeese is NOT a friend of Pennsylvania taxpayers. It is time for him to be replaced by someone who understands the pain of Pennsylvania homeowners.
The last commenter is
The last commenter is obviously confused. Bill DeWeese supported and ushered through the House an amendment to the PA Constitution to ELIMINATE property taxes ... yes, I said ELIMINATE property taxes. Unfortunately the Senate took no action on the bill.
DeWeese will win!
The last commenter is obviously confused. Bill DeWeese supported and ushered through the House an amendment to the PA Constitution to ELIMINATE property taxes ... yes, I said ELIMINATE property taxes. Unfortunately the Senate took no action on the bill.
Hopkins doesn't vote
HAHA that earlier comment is hilarious ... Hopkins clearly doesn't understand the pain of PA homeowners since he hasn't lived in PA for the past dozen years. And he didn't bother to vote in PA during that time either.
DeWeese should go
DeWeese only cares about DeWeese. He will do anything to stay in office. As soon as Bonusgate came out he used others as the fall guy. It's a shame we have to wait till after the elections to hear the truth. When we do I have a feeling anyone that voted for him will question how they could vote for someone like this and been so blind to what he has been doing for years. I'm voting for Hopkins.
DeWeese no friend of homeowners
Hey, DeWeese will win! @ 2:07 PM:
No, you're confused. The Bill was David Levdansky's homestead exemption bill (HB 1947) that called for a constitutional amendment to ALLOW the homestead exclusion to go to 100%. The key word is ALLOW - the bill by itself did absolutely nothing and would need further enabling legislation. It also did not mandate a 100% exemption; it only raised the limit from the current 50%.
The bill was bogus and was only passed to allow the Dems to say that they were working for elimination. You fell for their line!
DeWeese doesn't give a damn about homeowners. He plays the game for spin without substance so it looks good to his constituents. He is an opponent of true property tax reform and he MUST go!
Amazing
For the good of the commonwealth and their own district, the voters shouldvote DeWeese out.
Then again, if he wins, it makes Bonusgate all the more interesting. So from a news perspective, DeWeese winning is great!!
Heck I guess I win either way!
Hopkins is my neighbor and fellow farmer
I live right down the street from Greg Hopkins. He is probably one of the hardest working men that I know. He and his father both run a cattle farm. They have a store, laundramat and rental properties. Greg Hopkins comes from a hardworking, blue collar family.
Greg Hopkins did NOT get fired. His football jersey was retired and hangs permanently in Staples Center. That retirement ceremony can be viewed on YOU TUBE. He was voted as an Ironman and one of Arena Football's ALL-TIME great players. Our community is proud of him. He has become an inspiration to our children.
Hopkins comment above regarding welfare is in reference to our district remaining the 2nd and 3rd poorest in the state for the entire time Deweese has been in office. It is a fact that we have one of the highest levels of people on welfare in the state. DeWeese's ads are a sign of desperation. DeWeese has a terrible record and IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FACT THAT BONUSGATE HAPPENED UNDER HIS WATCH.
Deweese and Barack
I'am very sure Bill Deweese and Barack Obama working together will do all that they can to open the eyes of RACIST, and REDNECKS of southwestern Pa. I was born and raised in this district, I scratched out a living in the coalmines and raised my family hear also. The reason the last race was a horse race, we here in the 50th district had a great reason to get out and vote, Greg Hopkins. Red neck is a coalmine term of when we went to war with our Government,Blair Mountain. Maybe Mr.Deweese and his new bestfriend Barack Obama, need educated - Southwestern Pa style. Greg Hopkins is still here, and I still vote.
It is not hard to show up
It is not hard to show up for work when your job only requires 80 days out of 365 days...but that leaves DeWeese time to jet around on our tax dollars....
Post new comment