Seeing ghosts in Pennsylvania

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

The next time a state lawmaker claims to be safeguarding your tax dollars, remember Sue Cornell and Sam Stokes.

Cornell and Stokes are allegedly the latest in a long line of "ghost" employees paid with public money for doing nothing. Their stories are more evidence that some top elected leaders in Harrisburg consider taxpayers chumps.

Cornell was a Republican state representative from Montgomery County who lost her bid for reelection in 2006. After her loss, Cornell asked then-Speaker John M. Perzel (R., Phila.) if he could find her another job. The grand jury report that led to the indictment of Perzel and others said his top aide put Cornell on the state payroll in the office of Rep. George Kenney (R., Phila.).

When Cornell asked Kenney what work she should do, he just laughed. Kenney, who was not charged, said he didn't know about the move beforehand and didn't approve of it. Cornell was paid $72,187, which she collected from Dec. 1, 2006, to Jan. 16, 2007.

"She did no work whatsoever for Kenney, and never even appeared at his office," the grand jury report said.