Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell Tuesday picked C. Daniel Hassell to serve as acting secretary of the Department of Revenue, the same day that Stephen Stetler stepped down from the post amid corruption charges.
Hassell's nomination requires Senate confirmation. He held various tax policy posts for over three decades in the department, having last served as deputy secretary for tax policy for revenue, and holds a master's in public management and policy from Carnegie-Mellon University.
Hassell "has, in a sense, been the brains of the department," Rendell said.
Attorney General Tom Corbett Tuesday announced criminal indictments against Stetler, Rep. H. William DeWeese, D-Greene County, and a DeWeese aide. Stetler represented York City in the House from 1991 through 2006. The charges are part of an ongoing grand jury investigation of potential illegal fundraising and misuse of public funds.
Stetler had allegedly ordered his staff to conduct opposition research for political campaigns and to work on fundraising during legislative working hours, according to Corbett's office.
