Lawsuit
filed over board
appointment
In Pennsylvania, the state attorney
general's office filed a lawsuit Tuesday
that is asking a court to stop the appointment of a
Democratic state lawmaker to Pennsylvania's
new gambling commission.
Rep. Jeffrey W. Coy should not have been
picked for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control
Board because the state constitution
prohibits lawmakers from being appointed to
paid state government jobs during the terms
for which they were elected, Attorney
General Jerry Pappert said in the lawsuit,
filed in Commonwealth Court.
Pappert states that Mr. Coy's appointment directly contravenes
a clear and unambiguous constitutional
provision. He also says that allowing this
appointment to stand would render that
provision meaningless, which he thinks is
something that is unacceptable and cannot be
condoned.
The seven-member state gambling board, whose
members earn $145,000 per year, is
authorized to grant licenses to operate slot
machine parlors, which were legalized this
summer by the state Legislature.
The lawsuit seeks an immediate ouster of Coy
and a court order barring him from serving
on the board.
