| abstract | - One of Harrisburg's most influential lobbyists has made more than $63,000 in political contributions since his two minor children were listed as having a financial interest in a slot machine distributorship. A state law prohibits political donations to any candidate or political action committee from anyone seeking a license to operate, manufacture or distribute slot machines in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board won't say whether the law applies to Stephen R. Wojdak, whose two minor children are included in a list of investors and employees submitted to the state by Liberty Gaming Distributors LP. A top State Senate official, Stephen MacNett, chief counsel to Senate Republicans, said, "I'm not sure that the statute as we have it bars" Wojdak's donations. Wojdak's name is not part of any application, and is not listed on the Gaming Control Board's Web site as having any connection with Plymouth Meeting-based Liberty, which is one of 22 companies seeking state licenses to buy and sell slot machines in Pennsylvania. In fact, there would be no way of knowing that "Minor Child 1" and "Minor Child 2" listed on Liberty Gaming's application are Wojdak's children, had Wojdak himself not acknowledged it in March. A spokesman for Wojdak, based in Philadelphia, said that both of the unidentified minor children were involved in the company through a trust. Wojdak did not respond to calls and e-mails over the last month. Wojdak, a former state representative from Philadelphia, has been a lobbyist for nearly 30 years. Among his clients are the City of Philadelphia, the Eagles, and the State Troopers Association. Sen. Jane Orie (R., Allegheny) said Wojdak's involvement through his children "raises a red flag." Orie, a longtime gambling foe, said: "Because they are minor children, he is the direct beneficiary - he's the applicant himself." Orie added that she was going to return a $500 contribution received by her campaign from Wojdak's H-Tech PAC in February, even though that contribution was made five days before Wojdak's children became applicants. The state legislature legalized slot-machine gambling in 2004, and created the gaming board to decide who would get 14 licenses for slot parlors across the state. As many as 61,000 slot machines have been authorized; the first licenses for slot operators will be awarded later this year. Wojdak and his PACs have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to campaigns in the last five years. He personally gave $15,000 to Gov. Rendell last year. In March, Wojdak was at the state capitol to urge House members to vote against a bill that would have eliminated the use of slots distributors, and allowed slot casinos to purchase machines directly from manufacturers. The bill was defeated. The gaming board would not discuss Liberty's application or the individuals involved. Spokesman Nick Hays said the board's confidentiality rules prohibited discussion of pending applications. Tad Decker, board chairman, said any company licensed by the state would be required to identify all direct and indirect beneficiaries of any trust involving children. Those beneficiaries may include parents, and all beneficiaries would have to be licensed and comply with all gaming laws, including the ban on political contributions. In addition to Wojdak's case, six minor children and two trusts for minor children are listed on two separate applications for casino-related licenses. Since Liberty Gaming submitted its application in February, Wojdak has given more than $53,000 to three PACs controlled by his firm: SRW&A PAC, H-Tech PAC, and Phila PAC. Wojdak has been the source of more than 80 percent of the contributions to those PACs this year, according to state records. Those PACs, in turn, have given more than $30,000 to elected officials and committees, both Democrat and Republican, since March. House Minority Whip Mike Veon (D., Beaver), whose two committees received $14,000 in the weeks leading up to the May primary, said in an e-mail that "These are legal and appropriate contributions under the law." The Senate Republican Campaign Committee got $18,000. Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill (R., Lebanon), received $1,000. Brightbill referred calls to MacNett. In addition to the $53,000 that Wojdak gave to his PACS, he gave House Speaker John Perzel's campaign $10,000 on March 27. The campaign returned the check the same day, later citing Wojdak's lobbying. Wojdak represents Cadillac Jack Inc., an applicant for a slots manufacturing license. "Given Steve's representation of gaming interests, we are being extra careful to make sure that contributions accepted by the Friends [of John Perzel] are in compliance with the dictates of the gaming act," said Brian Preski, Perzel's chief of staff. William Eadington, who runs the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada-Reno, predicted that the issue of minor children would have to be resolved in court because it could allow someone to circumvent the law, "having his cake and eating it too." One of the partners in Liberty Gaming, Brett Sulzer, is a Louisiana lawyer who in 1999 helped overturn a law in that state prohibiting owners of video poker machine licenses from making political contributions. Sulzer could not be reached for comment yesterday.
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