Romanelli sees scandal as an aid

In the aftermath of criminal charges last week in the state payroll-bonus scandal, Carl Romanelli is hoping to use the accusations to ease his own legal woes.

He filed on Wednesday a motion asking that either the state Supreme Court reopen his case for more testimony or remand it to the Commonwealth Court for new discovery.

Hoping to run for U.S. Senate in 2006, Romanelli, a former Green Party candidate, had collected 93,000 signatures on his nomination petition, well over the 67,000 he needed. However, a challenge led by the state Democratic Party challenged enough of the signatures that he was booted from the ballot and, during drawn-out legal saga, saddled, along with one of his lawyers, with more than $80,000 in court costs and penalties.

But state Attorney General Tom Corbett announced last week charges against 12 people involved in the state House Democratic Caucus for illegally giving state-funded bonuses to state employees for performing partisan political work, like campaigning and challenging nomination petitions. Corbett specifically drew attention to Romanelli’s case, which he called one of “two outstanding examples of misappropriation of taxpayers’ resources.”

Romanelli now hopes to use those allegations in his lawsuit, in which he alleged a Democratic conspiracy to have him removed.

The law turned on him, though, when his accusations were dismissed and the fees were assessed. He has been appealed repeatedly, saying the court is cahoots with the party. The case is currently before the state Supreme Court.

“The court likely disenfranchised 100,000 signers, so I would hope that this (Corbett’s) investigation as it proceeds unravels what I believe to be a conspiratorial relationship between the Democratic Party and these judges,” he said. “The arrogance of power is starting to catch up with a bunch of these rascals.”

Despite last week’s public beating, the state Democratic Party maintains Romanelli was the worse offender and that questioning Democrats’ actions during the challenge is “illogically and falsely intertwining the two” offenses.

“One has absolutely nothing to do with the other. … The fact that the names were bogus had nothing to do with anything else,” party spokesman Abe Amoros said.