HOLLIDAYSBURG — Dark wooden furniture fills Sen. John H. Eichelberger Jr.’s office on Allegheny Street, a former candy store he helped renovate.

The freshman state senator, who recently completed his first year in office, trucked most of the furniture himself from the Senate warehouse in Harrisburg, where used items are available to lawmakers.

“Everything in here I paid for out-of-pocket,” Eichelberger, R-Blair, said of items such as picture frames and a photo of the Senate in the Capitol chamber. “I cleaned up the furniture. That’s the kind of thing I do in the evening.”

Eichelberger has what he terms “strict rules” about how he manages his expense accounts. Since his campaign, he has said he will save taxpayer money whenever possible.

He drives his own pickup truck, refused “free” calendars to distribute to constituents and does not expense meals for himself or his staff.

“I have a personal checking account in Harrisburg with my name on it and my secretary’s name on it,” he said. “It’s my personal account, my money.”

Eichelberger uses the account to pay for meals and other bills he doesn’t believe the state should reimburse him for. He paid back the state for several meals a staff member submitted without his knowledge.

“We really saved a tremendous amount of money,” he said.

Read the full Altoona Mirror story here.