PITTSBURGH: Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato announced his support today for a proposed Public Integrity Commission that would serve as an independent, non-partisan body to investigate ethical abuses across state government.
The proposal for a Public Integrity Commission, which would replace the existing Ethics Commission, was announced this morning by a bipartisan group of House members. The 7-member commission would come from a list of names nominated by law school deans, district attorneys and reform groups, and the commission would have broad investigative powers.
“Reform must be a priority for the next Governor,” Onorato said. “It will take an outsider to lead the call for reforming Harrisburg and I am the only candidate in this race who is not part of the broken system.”
Onorato supports a Constitution Convention focused on reforming government and he released his plan to reform Harrisburg last fall, which includes:
· Cutting the size and the cost of the Legislature, and enacting term limits;
· Eliminating per diems, WAMS and the leadership’s slush fund;
· Making the budget process work on-time and with complete transparency – and permanently docking the
Governor and Legislature’s pay for each day if it is ever late;
· Putting limits on campaign contributions; and
· Stopping gerrymandering of legislative districts.
As Allegheny County Executive, Onorato already has a record of reforming government to save taxpayers money and to make the region a place where businesses want to invest and create jobs. Under Onorato’s leadership, Allegheny County consolidated six unnecessary elected positions, cut waste and patronage and made government more efficient. Running the state’s second-largest county, Onorato has enacted six consecutive balanced budgets – each one passing on time and never increasing property taxes.
Speaking of one reform initiative this Spring, Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Corbett dismissed the role of leadership from the Governor, saying: “The Legislature is going to have to take care of its own house.” [Scranton Times-Tribune, April 4, 2010] And his campaign spokesman has bemoaned the fact that “reform can be difficult to bring about.” [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 2, 2010]
Earlier in the campaign, Corbett responded to one questionnaire by indicating that he “disagrees” that “the number of terms someone can serve in the state legislature should be limited,” noting that “legislative term limits would have the ultimate effect of depriving the voters of an option to return an effective legislator to represent their interests.” [Commonwealth Foundation]
But after Onorato emphasized the importance of reform, Corbett changed his stance. As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted just a week later: “Brian Nutt said Mr. Corbett is willing to discuss term limits and a smaller legislature…” [June 2, 2010]
“I know what needs to be done and how to do it because I have already reformed government in Allegheny County,” said Onorato. “I have a proven commitment to reform and to providing the leadership to get it done.”
7/14/10
PHILADELPHIA: Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato today joined Philadelphia workers and job-seekers in denouncing Tom Corbett’s repeated comment that the unemployed would rather collect benefits than go back to work.
“Tom Corbett has said since March that he thinks Pennsylvanians would rather be unemployed than earning money for their families,” Onorato said. “A Harrisburg insider like Tom Corbett who doesn’t even recognize the problems families are facing will never be able to offer the solutions that Pennsylvania need.”
On Friday, Corbett told Pennsylvania Public Radio that: “People don’t want to come back to work while they still have unemployment…. The jobs are there, but if we keep extending unemployment the people are going to sit there…”
The comment echoed a similar remark in March, when following a visit to a job referral center in Lancaster, Corbett “provocatively suggested that Congress’ decision to extend unemployment benefits might be having the opposite of its intended effect and actually be serving as a disincentive to go back to work. ‘What I see here are people looking for jobs, but that’s only 10 percent [of the unemployed],’ he said. ‘What about the other 80 or 90 percent?’” [Capitol Ideas, March 18, 2010]
The fall-out from Corbett’s insult to the 591,000 unemployed Pennsylvanians continued on Wednesday, as the Philadelphia Inquirer published an editorial titled “Unemployed, not lazy,” stating that: “Tom Corbett should see all the jobless people not sitting at home.”
And the Allentown Morning Call reported that Corbett’s view of the unemployed puts him “in good company” among right-wing politicians and conservative economists.
Even as the Corbett campaign worked to deflect attention from the fact that the candidate has consistently blamed the unemployed, they have continued to struggle to identify the “source” of Corbett’s observation.
On Friday, Corbett “pointed to one candy company in Camp Hill as an example, saying the owner told him they hired 50 European college students for the summer when the company was unable to fill its full-time positions.” [Capitolwire, July 9, 2010]
Later, his spokesman told another reporter that, “Corbett was simply relating a story told by the owner of a plumbing business. He did not name the business.” [Allentown Morning Call, July 9, 2010]
On Monday, the number of sources grew. Speaking in Lancaster, Corbett told Capitolwire: “That’s what had been reported to me. I’ve had three or four people tell me, people have turned down work.”
And on Philadelphia’s CBS3 TV news show yesterday, Corbett said he was “was repeating a story that I’d heard from about five, six, seven different people across the state of Pennsylvania.”
February 25, 2010
Dan Onorato Releases Plan to Prepare the Next Generation for the High-Skill Economy
Onorato's Plan Will Create a Better-Prepared Workforce While Easing the Burden on Local Property Taxes
PITTSBURGH: Today, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato released his plan to prepare the next generation of Pennsylvanians for the high-skill economy – the sixth major policy paper he’s released.
“Quality schools are vital for Pennsylvania's economic future and for the health of our communities," Onorato said. "We must prepare the next generation of Pennsylvanians for a high-skill economy while decreasing our dependence on sky-high property taxes.
“Even in these difficult fiscal times, there are two items that simply must be top priorities: early childhood education – which saves us money in the long-run for every dollar we invest today – and continuing to implement the Legislature’s Costing-Out Report school funding formula.”
As Governor, Onorato will work to provide all Pennsylvania students with the high-quality education that is essential to success in our global economy. To provide every child with the education they need and deserve, Onorato will:
“If we fail to live up to our responsibility to Pennsylvania’s children, the result will be ever-increasing property taxes and even greater educational inequity,” Onorato continued. “Rather than continue our decline, we need to invest in our students and prepare them to take their place in the workforce of the future.”
Onorato, who has fought against unfair country property tax hikes as Allegheny County Executive, will stem the local impact of the historic decline in the state’s share of school funding and relieve the burden placed on local property taxpayers.
As Governor, Onorato will continue to implement the Legislature’s Costing-Out Report. Pennsylvania’s first school funding formula in nearly two decades was enacted in 2008, and Onorato will continue to implement the formula until it is fully funded, enabling local communities to avoid unaffordable property tax hikes while providing adequate resources to increase achievement in Pennsylvania classrooms.
As a member of Pittsburgh’s City Council representing the North Side, Onorato saw the positive impact of high-quality childhood education on children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Onorato continued his commitment to ensuring that all children receive a good start in school to his role as Allegheny County Executive, where he championed programs that increase literacy and that provide academic, after-school and social service support to the county’s families.
As Governor, Onorato will also focus on providing high-quality early childhood care and education to Pennsylvania’s children. Every dollar invested in early childhood education generates between $7 and $17 in long-term benefits and savings to taxpayers. Onorato understands that quality early childhood education is a powerful economic development tool, and he is committed to increasing the number of children enrolled in high-quality pre-kindergarten. Onorato will expand the number of slots in Pennsylvania’s landmark Pre-Kindergarten County program with the goal of doubling total enrollment in high-quality pre-k by 2020.
“We need to prepare our students for the high-skill, high tech workforce that awaits them,” Onorato said. “Education is the lynchpin of the decisions that will drive Pennsylvania’s progress: for businesses searching for the workforce that will fuel their growth, for adults choosing where to raise their families, and for industries that can only thrive in places rich in entrepreneurship and innovation.”
Dan Onorato will spearhead improvements in how students are prepared for college and for the workforce, including:
Onorato released his plan to spur economic development in partnership with Pennsylvania’s higher education institutions last year. “The Onorato Plan for Higher Education” focused on ensuring that Pennsylvanians have the education and training they need for well-paying, high-growth jobs in the global economy.
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