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Wagner jockeying for Governor

Jack Wagner has made an art out of doing little as our Commonwealth’s Auditor General. Wagner has outsourced his job to newspapers to track down the fraud and waste that has run rampant during Gov. Ed Rendell’s two terms. Whether it has been PHEAA wasting tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on junkets and conventions at plush resorts or the current bonus scandal that is unfolding in Harrisburg, Jack Wagner has turned the other cheek and relied on our Commonwealth’s media to expose the waste and excess of state government.

So after performing his duties in a manner that made most Pennsylvanians wonder if he was part of the witness protection program rather than the Commonwealth’s fiscal watchdog, on the surface it might seem surprising to see that Wagner is puffing out his chest and actually trying to take his job seriously by challenging Rendell on the oversight of the federal stimulus money our state expects to receive. As you can imagine, the Governor did not appreciate his newfound critic.

With the 2010 gubernatorial race on the horizon and knowing Wagner’s interest in the position, it is not shocking to see him publicly challenge Rendell. However, the jury is still out as to whether or not the public will buy Wagner’s new found interest in protecting taxpayer dollars. It sure doesn’t pass the smell test for me considering how Wagner has been complicit with the current administration as it has perpetrated some of the most egregious misuses of taxpayer dollars in the history of our Commonwealth.

Whether the Democrats choose to run Dan “Drink Tax” Onorato, money-man Tom Knox, Wagner or someone else, Republicans are optimistic about our chances heading into 2010.

April 27, 2009 at 11:26 am

--Michael Barley

Tags: Ed Rendell, Jack Wagner, Stimulus Package

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