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Witness at Veon trial says Dems saved big bucks

HARRISBURG — A former campaign coordinator for Democrats in the Pennsylvania House testified Wednesday that his candidates saved more than $1 million by being able to use the Legislature's taxpayer-supplied high-volume e-mail system.

Dan Wiedemer told jurors in the public corruption trial of a former state lawmaker and three ex-aides that the blast e-mail system was only part of the public resources commandeered to run elections while he served as executive director of the House Democratic Campaign Committee, a nongovernmental campaign organization, from 2003 until 2007.

Wiedemer said the e-mail addresses themselves — purchased with public funds — can cost between a nickel and $1.50 each, and millions of them were used on behalf of candidates. Blast e-mail, which distributes material to large mailing lists, also costs money in staff time and computer server capacity, he said.

Wiedemer is the latest prosecution witness to testify in a Dauphin County courtroom in the trial of former Rep. Mike Veon, D-Beaver, and former Veon aides Brett Cott, Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink and Steve Keefer.

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