Cameron County Dems endorse Wagner

By JACK WAGNER FOR GOVERNOR

EMPORIUM (Dec. 21, 2009) – Three leaders of the Democratic Party in Cameron County today announced their endorsement of Auditor General Jack Wagner for Governor.

“I’ve never had so much faith in any one politician on the state level. That’s why I am proud to back Jack in 2010,” said Zachary V. Hause, Chair of the Cameron County Democratic Committee. Hause is also Director of Political Affairs of the Pennsylvania College Democrats.

“As a fellow graduate of the State System of Higher Education, I know first-hand that Jack is a real advocate for quality education for the young people of this state,” added Hause. “He has proven this commitment through his various visits to state universities, his groundbreaking audit of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, and his commitment to providing access to Pennsylvania colleges for Pennsylvania students.”

Wagner’s first-ever special performance audit of PHEAA highlighted wasteful spending in the state’s top agency for providing financial assistance to needy Pennsylvania students and resulted in much-needed reforms. He also called for a sweeping overhaul of the PHEAA board by replacing half of the legislators on the board with financial and academic experts and a full-time post-secondary student.

Hause was joined in the endorsement by Phil Jones, Cameron County Commissioner; and H.B. Von Hause, Vice Chair of the Cameron County Democratic Committee.

Wagner said that he was honored by the early endorsement and excited about the momentum that his campaign was gaining. “I look forward to working with these and other local leaders on the important issues facing Pennsylvania in the months and years ahead.”

As Governor, Wagner’s top priorities for Pennsylvania will include: providing a HOPE Scholarship Program to help families afford the cost of higher education, maintaining vital government services without raising taxes, maximizing the state’s new Marcellus Shale energy resources in an environmentally responsible way, and creating high quality jobs to grow our economy.

Wagner, twice elected with bipartisan support as the state’s independent fiscal watchdog, received record-breaking vote totals in his re-election in 2008. He has been adding more supporters and endorsements every week to his campaign for Governor, including the chairs of Democratic party committees in Clarion, Indiana, Jefferson, Lebanon, Lycoming, and Somerset counties, as well as the affiliated political action committee of the Pennsylvania Business Council and Henry Nicholas, President of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees, AFSCME, AFL-CIO, and President of District 1199c of the national union.

Jack Wagner is a decorated Vietnam War combat veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, former member and president of the Pittsburgh City Council, and former state senator representing Allegheny County. Between the time of his military service and his service as an elected public official, Wagner worked his way through college on the GI Bill and as a paramedic, followed by ten years working as a Certified Safety Professional helping to ensure that businesses provide safe work environments for their employees. He was chosen by Pennsylvania families and taxpayers as Pennsylvania’s 50th elected Auditor General in 2004, and then he was re-elected in 2008 with 3.3 million votes and 59% of the vote.

More information about Jack Wagner, his record of reform, and his campaign for Governor can be found at www.jackwagner.org.

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