State Rep. David Mayernik of Allegheny County has a nose for rooting out public money in the subterranean strata of Harrisburg politics. The West View Democrat's specialty is sniffing out state grants.

During a meeting last month over the future of the former Dixmont State Hospital, Mayernik publicly pledged to hunt for money to fund an environmental cleanup of the site so the long-dormant facility can be sold. "If there is a grant available, I will bring it back here," Mayernik told a public gathering. "Please appreciate my talents."

This isn't an idle boast. Mayernik delivers. Just ask Ross Township's commissioners. Through Mayernik's connections, Ross received $2.4 million in Community Revitalization Program grants to purchase land to develop for a community park.

The land had served as a dumping ground for debris excavated from the construction of the East Street Valley Expressway.

Over the past 18 months, Mayernik has helped organizations throughout his district obtain grants - some sizable - much to the chagrin of fellow Democrats and some Republicans.

The total: about $4 million worth of grants to organizations and municipalities in his district, according to records released by the governor's office. The grants include $250,000 for West View. Another $140,000 went to tiny Avalon Borough. Neville Township received two grants totaling $125,000.

Democratic House Leader William DeWeese would not name names but he charged that some Democrats in Allegheny and Lehigh counties have been selling their votes to Gov. Tom Ridge in exchange for Community Revitalization Program grants to finance pet projects in their district.

Democrats have sided with Ridge against party leaders on welfare reform, the gas tax, workers' compensation reform and the state budget.

Mayernik failed to comment even though he initially agreed to discuss the grant program with the Tribune-Review.

Tim Reeves, the governor's press spokesman, said DeWeese often makes such charges because of internal problems within the House Democratic Caucus. He said Ridge is not buying Democratic votes.

State Rep. Terry Van Horne of Lower Burrell is another Democrat who has few arguments with the Ridge approach to pork. He denied that his vote is for sale. He has brought home more than $500,000 in grants for his heavily Democratic district in the Alle-Kiski Valley. "I heard that," he said of DeWeese's claim. "Personally, I don't see it. I'm working with the tools they give me."

Van Horne noted that although he voted with Ridge on the gas tax, he opposed the governor on workers' compensation reform and on most education issues. "From what I see and in southwestern Pennsylvania, it appears more competitive than it used to be," Van Horne said of the process. "Everybody that calls me, we put them into the (Community Revitalization) program. We try to encourage them to meet with all appropriate bureaucrats and talk to them.

"One thing I like is there are no deadlines," he continued. "It's a kind of rolling application process. In some of the communities I represent there is little full-time personnel and they might miss a deadline, so this is good."

State Rep. Joseph Markosek's district abuts Van Horne's. With $1.5 million in Community Revitalization Program grants to his credits, the Monroeville Democrat has done even better than his Lower Burrell colleague. "My efforts have been successful in both" grant programs, Markosek said. "Whatever the system I've had to deal with, I've tried to learn it and do the best I can to operate within the system."

Markosek attributes his district's success in snaring grants to his seniority and his work ethic. He prefers the new system. "(Under) the old WAM system, those who worked the hardest and did the most just got the same regardless of what they did or didn't do. What we have now is really more the way government has worked for a couple hundred years," said Markosek.

Others, like state Rep. Frank Dermody, an Oakmont Democrat, whose district also abuts Markosek's, aren't so sure the grant process is working all that well.

Dermody, the leader of the Allegheny County legislative delegation, said he's not attacking the grant program. But he questions the process that has left the communities he represents on the outside looking in. "All my communities apply. We encourage them to apply and we call and work hard for them," said Dermody.

But some of Dermody's colleagues - like Mayernik - seem to have the Midas touch.

With the state money in hand, Ross Township purchased the 28-acre site from the Trumbull Corp. for $1.5 million.

Former Ross Commissioner Mark Purcell objected to buying the property because the site formerly was a dumping ground for blue shale dug up during the highway construction project. He said the debris is expensive to remove. The shale will have to blasted apart or broken up with heavy machinery, he said. The township will have to find additional money to develop the park or get more state grants.

"We took a million and half dollars and put it in a rock quarry," Purcell said. "They're trying to justify this. It's not going to work. We could have taken the $1.5 million and done a lot of things with it."