HARRISBURG -- State Rep. Frank Dermody of Oakmont has been elected House Democratic whip, replacing Rep. Bill DeWeese, who vacated the leadership position Tuesday after being charged in a government corruption scandal.

Five other lawmakers also ran for the post, including state Rep. Joe Preston of East Liberty, who came in second.

In the final runoff, Mr. Dermody had 53 votes to Mr. Preston's 30 when lawmakers stopped counting ballots because the winner was clear.

Members said the outcome was a sign the rank-and-file wanted to move in a new direction. They rejected Mr. Preston, who was the candidate favored by caucus leaders.

"Clearly, [Mr. Dermody] was not the consensus candidate of our leadership. The vote shows that members weren't happy with the status quo leadership," said Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill.

Rep. David Levdansky, D-Forward, agreed.

"Members have been frustrated by the command-and-control mentality running our caucus. Members were feeling disconnected and not involved," said Mr. Levdansky, who considered running for the whip vacancy but instead supported Mr. Dermody.

"They want to be heard. They're tired of leaders coming in and saying, 'Look, this is the deal,' " he said. "Frank Dermody is clearly the candidate for change."

Majority Leader Todd Eachus, D-Luzerne, has repeatedly said he runs his caucus from the ground up, listening to members' concerns, but Mr. Levdansky disagreed.

Mr. Dermody promises an increase in communication between the whip's office and members.

"We're going to have a more deliberative process and one where we do a better job of listening to members' concerns and talking to them about their needs, their agenda and their issues," he said. "I think I can help do that."

Mr. Dermody, 58, has represented Oakmont in the Legislature since 1991. He also has served as chairman of the Policy Committee, the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing and the Allegheny County Democratic Delegation.

Before joining the Legislature, he was a prosecutor and then a district justice in Oakmont-Verona.

Mr. DeWeese did not vote for Mr. Dermody, but nonetheless, said he is intelligent and sensitive and that he would do a masterful job as whip.

State Rep. Bryan Lentz, D-Delaware, called Mr. Dermody "an independent legislator who is not afraid to stand up to the status quo."

He and other House Democrats have high expectations of Mr. Dermody in his new role as whip, the third-ranking job in the Democratic caucus.

Mr. Frankel said members want him to better prepare them for floor debate, to keep legislation moving, to foster collaboration and to prevent the kind of alleged transgressions that led to the arrest of Mr. DeWeese and 14 others associated with the caucus. The scandal, which has become known as Bonusgate, involves allegations of using public resources to run political campaigns.

"Obviously, our leaders have had difficulties, whether that's Bonusgate or our ability to get things done legislatively," Mr. Frankel said.

"There's an overwhelming reason to break with the past, and this [election of Mr. Dermody] is an expression of that," he said. "We needed a shake-up, and this was a shake-up."

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