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Education and economy talk from Knox and Onorato

Policy prescriptions continued to move toward the forefront of the Democratic primary for governor Tuesday, with Tom Knox announcing a plan for the state’s community colleges only a couple hours after Dan Onorato unveiled an economic plan. After months of mostly insider maneuvering, the sustained focus on issues in recent weeks has underscored the candidates’ efforts to cement their positions four months before the May primary.

Knox, the wealthy Philadelphia businessman, called for increasing access to community colleges, only a few hours after Onorato, the Allegheny County Executive, unveiled the most detailed economic plan of his campaign. During a morning news conference at an aerospace company in Bridgeport and in a subsequent policy paper, Onorato called for, among other things, reducing the state’s corporate income taxes, phasing out other business taxes, investing in infrastructure and providing venture capital for “green” industries. He continued to highlight the economic revival of Pittsburgh as a core economic credential of his candidacy.

“The single most important job for the next Governor is to spur Pennsylvania to lead the nation in job creation, including supporting our historic manufacturing sector through the newest pioneers in the emerging ‘green’ economy,” Onorato said in a statement later. “As Governor, my chief focus will be on creating well-paying sustainable jobs that improve the economic security of all of the Commonwealth’s residents, just as I have done as Allegheny County Executive.”

Knox, for his part, touted his plan to make job-training and higher education more accessible, calling a well-educated and well-trained workforce “the number one consideration businesses make when considering to locate in a particular region.” He called for increased investment in community colleges, expanding access to those institutions in under-served areas and tuition assistance for community college graduates who continue working toward a four-year degree. His plan would also establish a statewide Community College Authority to give schools collective bargaining leverage when negotiating operating costs.

“It is frightening to consider that according to a 2004 report, 50 percent of Pennsylvania adults end their formal education by dropping out of school or earning a high school diploma,” Knox said in a statement. “I was one of those people who never had the advantage of a post-high school education. I know how difficult it is to succeed without additional education training.  As Governor, it will be my priority to ensure that every resident of Pennsylvania has access to a two-year, post-high school education .”

With the state’s industrial sector struggling mightily and community colleges strained by a recession-spurred increase in enrollment, both candidates’ proposals sought to address the heart of the current economic anxiety. And both will have plenty of resources to market their positions; expected to be the heaviest spenders in the five-way primary, Onorato has raised more than $8 million for the race so far and Knox has signaled that he could spend well over $20 million of his own money.

January 12, 2010 at 9:24 pm

--Donald Hoegg

Tags: Dan Onorato, Tom Knox

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