State Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Centre, either isn’t paying attention or doesn’t care. Either way, it’s not a good sign.

The top Republican in the General Assembly’s upper body has appointed the wife of a legislative colleague to a $145,000-a-year job on the state’s Gaming Control Board just weeks after there was criticism of a Democrat for making a similar, questionable appointment.

In that one, House Minority Leader Joanna McClinton appointed her predecessor, Frank Dermody, to a Gaming Commission seat.

This time, Corman has confirmed that he has named Frances “Fran” Regan, wife of Sen. Mike Regan, R-York, to the coveted post, which is one of the highest-paying appointed positions in state government.

Frances Regan succeeds Merritt Reitzel, a corporate and business attorney, who was appointed by retired Republican Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, whom Corman replaced.

Both Dermody and Regan will serve two-year terms but are eligible for reappointment.

In Dermody’s case, he was the victim of Republican gains in the state House and was upset in the 2020 general election by Republican Carrie Lewis DelRosso.

Usually, there is a news release announcing a new appointment, but not this time. Regan was unceremoniously sworn in on March 1. It was almost as if Corman was trying to sneak something by the public so as to avoid the unpleasantness that accompanied Dermody’s appointment less than two months ago.

Once the Regan appointment was discovered, several news organizations asked for her resume, because just her name appeared on the gaming board’s website. At first they were told none was available, but later, a gaming commission spokesperson provided biographical information.

During an interview, Corman said he selected Regan because of her background in law enforcement. He also said that he interviewed others for the position and was adamant that the mere fact that someone is related to a legislator should not automatically be a disqualification.

I strongly disagree with Corman’s asinine justification, just as I did when there was an attempt to justify Dermody’s appointment. Of course, it should be a disqualification. I don’t care how qualified Regan is, the fact that her husband serves with Corman in the state Senate is reason enough to not consider her.

It’s not an ethics violation as far as state law is concerned, but the perception of a conflict of interest is as plain as the nose on your face.

Acknowledging that the Regans are friends, Corman said that he wants someone in this job that he can trust. There are 12.9 million people in Pennsylvania. Is there not one who is more qualified, more capable, more trustworthy than the wife of a sitting lawmaker?

Seriously!

The gaming commission board members should be selected on a nonpolitical basis. The work that the agency does is too important to be mired in politics. In 2019, the gaming industry in Pennsylvania brought in $3.4 billion. With the initiation of online gambling, that figure is expected to spike dramatically within the next few years.

The Gaming Commission, which regulates 11 casinos, including Wind Creek in Bethlehem, Mount Airy in Paradise Township, Monroe County, and Mohawk Sun-Pocono in Plains Township, Luzerne County, has seven members chaired by David Barasch, a former state official and attorney who was appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf.

Wolf has three appointees on the board - the other two are Obra Kernodle IV, a Wolf campaign strategist, and Denise Smyler, a former general counsel to the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and principal in her own law firm.

Each of the leaders of the state House and Senate gets to appoint one member. Former state Sen. Sean Logan was appointed by Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa; former state Rep. Mark Mustio was appointed by House Speaker Mike Turzai, and now Regan replaces Reitzel.

Even Reitzel’s appointment raised eyebrows because she was the sister-in-law of Sen. Scarnati’s then-chief of staff. Since her departure, the Senate hired Reitzel as a lawyer to the committee that oversees gaming regulations.

According to Regan’s background, she has been a small-business owner for the past six years in which she holds safety and self-defense classes to instruct women on how to protect themselves.

Regan served with the United States Probation Offices, first in the Southern District of Florida in Miami and more recently for 24 years in the Middle District of Pennsylvania office in Harrisburg. In this role, she conducted background checks, criminal investigations and prepared presentencing reports for federal officers.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in psychology from Shippensburg University. She and her husband live in Dillsburg and have four children. Her husband has been mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate next year.

The coziness of these appointments should be a cause of concern and is yet another example of why we taxpayers are wary of political shenanigans.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.