Governor News

Is This the Beginning of the End of Pa. Public Education?

by Chris McGann on April 11, 2011 at 9:27 am

Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed deep cuts in state government spending have not gone over well with many citizens and organizations that depend on that spending. Probably the most controversial budget cuts are to the basic education subsidies that tend to make up about half of school district budgets.

Last year, the state had about $1 billion in federal stimulus money to help fund basic education at the state’s 500 school districts. While Corbett’s budget calls …

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Videos from the gubernatorial debate
In the excitement of debates and forums, we forgot to post videos from pWe got a handful of clips. Embedded above is a brief video of Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel discussing his position on abortion rights. More clips can be found on the a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/pa2010Video" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.youtube.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fuser%2Fpa2010Video','pa2010.com+YouTube+Channel')" target="_blank"empa2010.com/em YouTube Channel/a./p
pa href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OeGhTnjjGk" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.youtube.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D_OeGhTnjjGk','Click+here+to+see+Allegheny+County+Executive+Dan+Onorato+discuss+manufacturing+and+industrial+revitalization.')" target="_blank">Click here to see Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato discuss manufacturing and industrial revitalization.…
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February 2, 2010 at 8:30 am | Comments (0)
As expected Onorato & Corbett have big money leads
There were no real surprises as the first nuggets of state campaign finance data began to trickle out Monday.
In the race for governor, Democrat Dan Onorato and Republican Tom Corbett have no rivals in fundraising. Corbett, the Republican front-runner, raked in about $4.2 million in 2009, compared to $3.6 million collected by Onorato. But thanks in part to leftover funds from his 2007 county executive race, Onorato still finished the year with about $6.5 …
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February 1, 2010 at 11:56 pm | Comments (3)
Onorato tries to tamp down Lt. Gov. speculation
Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato sought Monday quiet speculation that his political allies are looking to pair him on a gubernatorial ticket with Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty, insisting that “the only race I have been focused on is my own campaign for governor—not who is running for Lieutenant Governor.”
Onorato was apparently responding to reports …
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February 1, 2010 at 7:45 pm | Comments (7)
As chatter of an Onorato-Doherty ticket builds, a Saidel ally is ready to fight
At first, it seemed like nothing more than innocent speculation. A couple stories and columns mentioned that Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty could join Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato on a Democratic ticket for governor. Those pieces didn’t mention former Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel, who had been preparing a campaign for Lieutenant Governor for well over a year. And Marty Marks, a spokesman and strategist for Saidel, didn’t like that.
So he called up seemingly …
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February 1, 2010 at 7:40 pm | Comments (29)
Hoeffel wants Dems to forgo endorsement
Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel said Monday that the state Democratic Party should refrain from endorsing a candidate for governor when its leaders meet this weekend in Lancaster, arguing that primary voters should make “the ultimate decision.”
It remains unclear if any candidate will muster the challenging two-thirds vote needed to win an endorsement from the Democratic State Committee. But with much of the establishment party support split between Auditor General Jack Wagner and Allegheny …
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February 1, 2010 at 7:36 pm | Comments (4)
Cambria Dems endorse Wagner
Cambria County Democratic Party leaders endorsed Auditor General Jack Wagner for governor Monday, adding to Wagner’s growing base of local party support.
“He will have my vote at the Democratic State Committee meeting in February, and I will encourage others to vote for him during the endorsement process,” said local party chair Helen Whiteford said in a campaign statement.
Added county party treasurer Barb Kline: “I’ve known Jack as a public servant for years, and …
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February 1, 2010 at 2:31 pm | Comments (0)
Onorato says his money edge yields ‘the best campaigners’
PITTSBURGH—With more than $8 million in the bank, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato has considerably more campaign cash than any of his Democratic rivals for governor. But Onorato said Sunday that raising the money is only half the battle.
“We may have the most money stored right now, but anyone who has run a statewide race will tell you what’s most important is how that money gets spent,” Onorato told pa2010.com after …
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January 31, 2010 at 5:27 pm | Comments (2)
Dems come together for another gubernatorial debate
PITTSBURGH—The four Democratic candidates for governor came together here Sunday for their second debate in three days, talking about their stances on passing state budgets, creating jobs and health care policy.
The event, co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, the Pitt College Democrats and the 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club, featured a lively debate between the candidates, facilitated by questions coming directly from audience members. Key issues of discussion also included tax …
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January 31, 2010 at 5:20 pm | Comments (4)
Cawley’s still up after two more Lt. Gov. straw votes
After two more straw polls of regional Republican leaders, Bucks County Commissioner Jim Cawley appears to be solidifying enough support to win the party’s endorsement for Lieutenant Governor at the state committee meeting less than two weeks from now.
Cawley did not win either of the regional caucus votes held Saturday in the southwest and northwest. Former Lancaster GOP leader Chet Beiler won the southwest caucus, while Jean Craige Pepper, a former candidate for state …
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January 31, 2010 at 11:07 am | Comments (14)
Dems court the liberal base on social, fiscal issues
HARRISBURG—The four Democratic candidates for governor came together for the first time in a public forum here Friday night, airing their positions on everything from taxes and job creation to abortion rights and same-sex marriage in front of a crowd of about 300 liberal activists.
The two-hour event at the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit saw the candidates mostly agree on many fiscal issues while disagreeing on some social issues. With the liberal wing of the party …
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January 30, 2010 at 5:05 pm | Comments (6)