Sen. Mellow becomes latest to shun COLAs.

Add another name to the shun-the-COLA bandwagon.

Senate Minority Leader Bob Mellow (D., Lackawanna) announced today that he would forego this year's 2.8 percent cost-of-living-adjustment because of the worsening economy.

"While this amount of money is relatively small, it symbolically represents one way to demonstrate leadership and solidarity with struggling working families during these extraordinarily difficult economic times," Mellow said in a press release this afternoon.

For Mellow, it marks a major change of heart.

Just two weeks ago, Mellow ardently defended as reasonable the raises that kicked in on Monday.

"Our members have the same family responsibilities as others," he told the Inquirer then. "It's a modest increase and the right thing to do."

What has changed from then to now?

Mainly, that the entire Senate GOP leadership ranks and most top Democrats in the House shunned the COLAs yesterday.

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