No one would describe Erin Vecchio -- wife, mother, Democratic chairwoman in Penn Hills, Penn Hills school board member and turnpike toll collector -- as a wallflower.

Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Erin Vecchio has been complaining about the fact that the Penn Hills School District has been paying for Sen. Rick Santorum's children to go to a cyber charter school. Click photo for larger image. Newsmaker: Erin Vecchio Age: 45 Residence: Penn Hills In the news: Penn Hills school board member and Democratic Party leader who is questioning whether Sen. Rick Santorum lives in Penn Hills Education: Penn Hills High School graduate Family: husband, Ed; three children, Philip, 15, John, 13, and Mia, 11. Quote: "I went to Eat'n Park today [Friday] with my mother. People were standing up and clapping for me."

"I open my mouth. I'm not quiet. I don't go away. Once I'm on you, I'm on you. I don't back down to anybody," she said.

Vecchio is taking on Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, who has listed his residence as Penn Hills ever since he and his wife, Karen, bought a two-bedroom house for $87,800 there in 1997.

Vecchio, who lives near the house, said she was surprised when he first showed up to vote at the polling place at Forbes Elementary School, where she votes and is a Democratic committeewoman.

"I said, 'What are you doing there?' '' Vecchio said.

And when Santorum told her he lived on Stephens Lane in Penn Hills, Vecchio said, "Oh, no you don't."

"Oh, yes I do,'' the senator replied.

While Santorum sometimes uses an absentee ballot, Vecchio said she has seen him three times at the polls and challenged his residency, most recently in the November election.

Vecchio, about to start her eighth year on the school board, said she was upset to read in the Penn Hills Progress that the district was paying about $38,000 this year -- and $100,000 total since 2001 -- for five of Santorum's children to attend the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School via computer. The Santorums previously home schooled their children.

"We fight for every nickel and dime out here. He's got ample money to send his kids where he wants," Vecchio said.

While the cyber school sends a list of its students to each home district, Vecchio said the board never saw the list, a policy she thinks needs to be changed.

Under state law, the school district in which the student resides must pay to send the student to a charter school, which is a public school.

Vecchio disputes that Santorum is a resident and urged the school district to investigate. Now she plans to ask the board on Dec. 7 to demand that the Santorums reimburse the district.

The Santorums own a house in Leesburg, Va., that they bought for $643,361 in 2001 after selling another house in Virginia that they bought in 1995. When Santorum first ran for Congress in 1990, he lived in Mt. Lebanon.

On the Fred Honsberger show on KDKA Radio Friday, Santorum said his niece lives in the Penn Hills home and "looks after the house when we're not there'' and that "we go there for holidays.''

He said he pays both wage and property taxes in Penn Hills and will continue to do so. He said he is in Pennsylvania 100 days a year.

As part of the district's investigation, Superintendent Patricia Gennari last week told the senator the district needed to ask the Santorums some questions to determine residency.

Later that day, the Santorums issued a statement that they were immediately withdrawing their children from the cyber school. The cyber school replied that the teachers were willing to volunteer their services, but the Santorums would have to provide the technology and materials.

Santorum said Friday that he thinks the district is wrong but "my only remedy would be to go to court, but at this point, I don't believe I want to go that route.''

Santorum said he thinks the matter is a "political game.''

"I applied in the normal channels for this program ... This is a bitter person [Vecchio] who is upset that they lost the Senate race and they lost the presidency.''

Vecchio, who said she's not bitter, said of the presidential race, "The Democrats won statewide. Did he miss that one? And I was for Arlen Specter."

Vecchio said she goes after Democrats, too, including some on Penn Hills council, when she thinks they are wrong.

Vecchio lives in the Penn Hills house where she grew up, purchased after her father died.

Her father, John Fitzmaurice, was a Democratic committeeman for 37 years.

"He always had me at rallies and stuff. I loved it because he used to help people,'' she said.

She has been active in Penn Hills politics for more than a dozen years and now is in her third year as party chairwoman.

Vecchio said she tackles the unpaid posts with the party and school district because she wants to help people.

"I'm here to make Penn Hills a better place,'' she said.