A week ago, about 1,500 protesters gathered in Harrisburg to vent their anger over the pay-raise vote taken at 2 a.m. on July 7. But when the pay-raise protesters arrived at the state capitol with their petitions containing 129,000 signatures, they were pretty much preaching to the choir.

The reason the pay-raise opponents found themselves talking to themselves is that the targets of their frustration and anger - the most powerful lawmakers in Harrisburg - were "unavailable."

It was no surprise that many of the same lawmakers who skipped town just hours after their controversial pay-raise vote in the middle of the night on July 7 were nowhere to be found on Monday.

When pay-hike protesters attempted to deliver their petitions and talk with House Speaker John Perzel, R-Philadelphia, they were told he was unavailable because he was "in a meeting."

Next, pay-hike opponents, including Bob Durgin, a Harrisburg radio talk show host, attempted to speak with Gov. Ed Rendell. But an aide to the governor told the protesters Rendell was in Philadelphia.

Then, when protesters tried to deliver their anti-pay-raise petitions to Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer, R-Blair, they were told he, too, was unavailable.

A Pittsburgh newspaper reported that "senators' names had even been removed from their prime parking spots in front of the Capitol."

Clearly, lawmakers were not interested in talking with citizens upset over the pay-hike vote. And, it's understandable why. No lawmaker could convincingly defend the stealth pay-raise vote, taken with no advance public discussion and no debate among legislators in the midst of last-minute efforts to produce a state budget.

What lawmaker could honestly defend the use of "unvouchered expenses," or bogus expense forms, to receive the extra pay - amounting to between $950 a month and $3,000 a month - when the state constitution very clearly requires that legislative pay increases not take effect until after the following election.

The actions of the state legislature are simply indefensible. So, lawmakers' strategy is to hide, refuse to discuss the issue or try to change the subject.

But voters must not let that strategy succeed. Pressure must be maintained to reverse the pay-raise vote and explicitly ban the use of unvouchered expenses. Voters must support the efforts of reform-minded lawmakers pursuing the repeal efforts, and, more importantly, support all reform-minded challengers who step forward to face incumbents in the next legislative election in November 2006.

Last week, key officials did a good job of hiding. Perzel, Jubelirer and Rendell were all "unavailable." Other lawmakers, no doubt, made sure they would not have to confront protesters or answer questions about the pay raise.

But in November 2006, these lawmakers will not be able to hide - and they will not be unavailable. Most of their names will be on the ballot, hopefully next to the names of challengers.

At that time, voters will finally have a chance to express themselves and let the arrogant, self-serving incumbents in Harrisburg - particularly those in leadership positions - know who's in charge by sending them back home where they can pursue some other line of work.

Many of the politicians in Harrisburg - especially the powerful leaders of both parties - have failed as public servants by revealing themselves to be more interested in serving themselves and their own interests than those of the citizens of Pennsylvania.