Former aide to Veon testifies about doing campaign work

February 23, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

HARRISBURG — A former legislative analyst testified Monday that she spent about half her work hours on campaign efforts during the two years she worked for a former state lawmaker accused of using his staff and taxpayer resources to wage political campaigns.

Karen Steiner Blanar said former Rep. Mike Veon, a Beaver County Democrat, knew that she and other aides were devoting considerable energies to election efforts that included raising campaign donations, coordinating volunteers and sending out so many political mailings that a folding machine in her Capitol office seemed to be running all the time.

Blanar recalled how she temporarily took over the fundraising operation from another Veon employee, P.J. Lavelle, and was surprised at its scope.

“It was very big,” she told the jury, now hearing its fourth week of testimony in the theft, conspiracy and conflict-of-interest trial of Veon and three of his former underlings. “I didn’t realize how big until I stepped into that role.”

She described how she traveled around the state to work on campaigns, with her expenses paid alternately by the Veon campaign or out of legislative funds.

Her work hours in the Capitol sometimes involved coordinating a phone bank the Veon campaign operated.

After news broke in January 2007 that millions in bonuses had been quietly handed out to legislative employees — she was herself a bonus recipient — Blanar said she deleted e-mails, documents and other incriminating campaign material from her House computer.

Blanar said she kept copies on a compact disc that she later provided to the attorney general’s office. She received immunity from prosecution, testified before the investigative grand jury and still works for the House Democratic caucus.

Blanar said she felt like she had to work on campaigns in order to keep her job.