I put in 10 years as a staff attorney for the Democratic caucus in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. During that time I encountered 2 state representatives who stood out as shining lights of integrity and honesty. One was a Democrat - Greg Vitali, and the other a Republican - Russ Fairchild. Lobbyists loathed these 2 men because their votes were never for sale.
Democratic leadership ridiculed Greg as some fool who didn't know how the game was played, i.e., he never sold out to lobbyists and always voted for the best interests of constituents, ignoring direct orders from party leadership (anyone else remember Mike Veon and Bill DeWeese? They both ended up in prison.)
The people of Pennsylvania's 166th Legislative District first elected Greg Vitali to the House of Representatives in 1992. The first Democrat to win this seat, Vitali was re-elected to his 12th term in 2014.
Vitali is Democratic chairman of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. His focus in the legislature has been on climate and energy issues.
Vitali currently serves on the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board, a 20-member body that evaluates and adopts all Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection regulations and reviews changes to the state's air quality standards plan. He also serves on the state Government Committee.
Vitali has received the following environmental awards:
2014 Florence Neilson Environmental Award from Clean Water Action.
2009 PennFuture Green Power Hero
2008 PennEnvironment Environmental Champ
2002 PennFuture Green Power Policymaker Award
2000 Pennsylvania League of Conservation Voters' Hero Award
1997 Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter State Legislator of the Year
1995 Pennsylvania Wildlife Federation's Conservation Legislator of the Year
During his tenure in the legislature, Vitali has consistently been at the cutting edge of governmental reform issues.
In 2007, he was appointed to the Speaker's Commission on Legislative Reform. In 1996, Vitali received the Common Cause of Pennsylvania Champion of Good Government Award.
The Republican I very much admired was Russ Fairchild (now retired), who chaired a special committee protecting the rights of mentally retarded/severely autistic and their families/caretakers against profiteering group home operators who bribed/bought off then Governor Tom Ridge, and the majority of state senators and reps (from both parties) into privatizing state residential centers for the mentally retarded. Tom Ridge would cut Russ dead at state GOP gatherings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Fairchild
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