Getting past it might take a while. Quinn, who was offered no deal for her plea, is a potential witness in her former cohorts' trials, and will not be sentenced until afterward.
The most serious crimes she committed, felony theft and conspiracy, carry potential maximum sentences of seven years each. And Quinn's pre-November plea could further inflame the election-year rhetoric already surrounding the corruption case.
Democrats, frustrated by nearly three decades of Republican control of county government, say the scandal is the sort of thing that happens when one party is in power for too long.
Republicans counter that Reilly's political fiefdom was an elected row office, its daily workings removed from county commissioners' oversight. They note that the staffs of two GOP elected officials - County Controller Raymond McHugh and District Attorney David Heckler - wound up taking Reilly down.
"The political hay that people try to make out of this, whether that hay is wet and moldy or fit for consumption, is a decision the voters will make," Heckler said Wednesday.
Reilly, who has been out on extended medical leave, is not seeking reelection. Quinn and her lawyer, Douglas Rosenblum, declined to comment after the hearing.
In addition to her felony pleas, Quinn pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of obstructing law enforcement, official oppression, tampering with evidence, tampering with records, and conspiracy.
She also pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor theft charge and a related conspiracy count.
The pleas were accepted by Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Senior Judge John Braxton, who is hearing the case because of potential conflicts of interest among Bucks County's mostly Republican bench.
