Gene Stilp said he successfully helped block the retention of state Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro in 2005; however, he was told he'd "never get another Supreme Court justice out unless pigs fly."

Stilp, director of Taxpayers and Ratepayers United, took it to heart, which is why he could be found yesterday standing beside his winged and pig-likened 1993 Bluebird school bus, encouraging area voters to vote "no" for the retention of dozens of Pennsylvania judges.

Stilp said the judges whose retention he's seeking to block accepted a "surprise" pay raise that he feels was instated unethically -- without any public notice or hearing.

"Our constitution has important provisions in it that require that citizens have notice and an opportunity to be heard," said Dennis Baylor, Stilp's rallying partner and co-founder of the Pennsylvania Accountability Project.

Now, Stilp said, on Nov. 6, Pennsylvania voters can vote to block the retention of the judges who accepted this pay raise.

Among the several judges targeted by Stilp are Supreme Court Judge Tom Saylor, two Superior Court judges, three Commonwealth Court judges and 60 county judges -- including local Centre County Judge Thomas Kistler.

Kistler said the pay raise has little to do with the judges because it is the legislators who pass pay raises and not the judges.

"Mr. Stilp is a very motivated, very well-intending person, but he's mad at the legislators. He's not mad at judges ... even though he's focusing on judges," Kistler said.

"The pay raise issue was litigated at great length by some very capable lawyers. I was not a party to it; I did not bring the lawsuit. I was one of 500 judges who sat back and said whatever happens, happens."

Futhermore, Kistler said Stilp's issue is not particularly a matter of retention.

"If I'm voted out of office, I'll be replaced by another judge who gets the exact same pay as I do," he said, adding that he considers his position to be a privilege.

Stilp has made stops throughout Pennsylvania on his "Flying Pink Pig Tour," including large cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and smaller places like Lancaster and State College.

He says awareness of state issues is much harder to muster in those smaller places.

"State College is very isolated from what goes on in the state government in Harrisburg," he said.

"People need to take a greater interest in taking back their government."

The pay raise was passed by the Pennsylvania Legislature in July 2005.

It was rescinded in November of that year.

Then, Stilp said, it was reinstated by the state Supreme Court in September 2006 based on a constitutional provision stating that the legislature cannot reduce their pay.

"The methodology by which the pay raise was passed violated every constitutional procedural guideline on how the legislation can be passed," Stilp said. "We're against the pay raise because of the way it was done," he added.