Onorato's Last Days on the Trail

With just days left before the gubernatorial election, Democrat Dan Onorato keeps plugging away. WDUQ's Scott Detrow reports the Allegheny County Executive is confident he’ll overcome Republican Tom Corbett’s lead in the race’s final days.

Listen to Scott Detrow's story here.

Find yesterday's story looking at Republican Tom Corbett's campaign here.

Corbett's Last Days on the Trail

The Pennsylvania Gubernatorial election is just days away and Republican Tom Corbett has led Democrat Dan Onorato in the polls throughout the entire election. DUQ’s Scott Detrow went on the road with the Attorney General and found he is using the last few days to urge supporters not to become complacent as what has been a low-key gubernatorial campaign winds to an end.

Listen to Scott's story here.

A look at Democrat Dan Onorato's campaign can be heard tomorrow during Morning Edition on 90.5 FM in Pittsburgh

Rendell Lease Ban May Stay, May Go

One Candidate of Pennsylvania Governor says he will keep a ban on selling state forest land to gas drilling companies and the other says he will have to review it. The Rendell Administration has leased out more than 130 thousand acres of state forest land over the past two years and now that he is about to leave office Rendell has signed an executive order to not sell any more. Only about 20 wells are active in the forests right now, but Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary John Quigley says thousands could be operating in the next few years. The order does nothing to prevent those wells from being drilled, it only prevents more land from being leased. Quigley says the forests have reached a breaking point. “In a perfect world we would not have done the last lease sale, but the facts are that we did,” says Quigley, “We did it with the absolute minimum impact, and did it in a way that we think preserves the sustainability of the forest. But clearly we have reached the point where we can’t go any further.” When Rendell leaves office in January the ban will remain in place but the next governor could decide to overturn it. Democrat Dan Onorato says he will keep Rendell’s order in effect, and urge the development of more private land. He also supports a tax on gas pulled from the Marcellus Shale formation. Republican Tom Corbett would overturn the moratorium. Corbett spokesman Kevin Harley says, “It’s something that is generating revenue for the state, and could generate more. When Tom Corbett’s elected governor, he’ll sit down with his new secretary of DCNR and DEP, and examine what could produce revenue for the state. The leases generate money for the state, and Corbett would look for additional ways to gain revenue from state forests.” Corbett does not support the idea of a tax on shale gas.

Onorato Speaks in Hill District

Allegheny County Executive and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato spoke to an audience of about thirty local African-American leaders in the Hill District on Monday.

He spoke about the differences between him and his opponent Tom Corbett.

Corbett does not support a severance tax on Marcellus Shale gas drilling. Onorato does and says the money from the tax should go towards replacing jobs that were shed from The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, to counties for the wear and tear on roads and water systems from the drilling and to protect farmland and open space and to clean up brownfields.

"We're going to have real environmental issues," he said. He called The Marcellus Shale "a golden opportunity" and cited a Penn State report that said the drilling industry would create 80,000 jobs.

He also made promises to increase accessibility to early childhood education and spoke against the Castle Doctrine expansion.

Final Campaign Finance Report Released

In the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race, Republican Tom Corbett outraised and outspent Democratic opponent Dan Onorato over the past month. Corbett raised $6.2 million and spent $8.6 million, while Onorato took in $3.5 million, and spent $4.6. The Republican spent about $7 million on television ads, compared to Onorato's $4 million in TV purchases. Once again, Onorato's biggest contributors were unions - the AFL-CIO gave $160,000 to his campaign. The Democrat also received $50,000 from Governor Rendell's campaign fund, as well as several individual contributions from members of the Rendell administration and Onorato $20,000 from House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dwight Evans. On the other side, the billionaire chair of Chief Oil and Gas gave $50,000 to Corbett, and the vice president of Range Resources donated $10,000. Both of those companies drill in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale natural gas formation. Among the well-known names giving money to the Onorato campaign was Al Boscov, the chairman of Boscov's department stores who gave $25,000. John Hess of the Hess Corporation donated the same amount to Corbett. The Republican Governors Association's $2.5 million contribution to Corbett's campaign dwarfed the $400,000 its Democratic counterpart gave to Onorato. The Democrat's campaign has about $2 million left in the bank, while Corbett has more than $5 million to spend.

The most interesting donor in either report? Elmer Fudd, who gave $100 to the Corbett campaign.

Onorato/Corbett Fact Check

WDUQ spent some time over the weekend fact checking some of the ads Pennsylvania’s two candidates for governor are running. A new commercial for Republican Tom Corbett doesn’t fudge the facts, but misleads voters by leaving out contextual information. At the beginning of spot, a woman tells viewers Allegheny County has lost 21-thousand jobs during Onorato’s tenure as county executive. While the figure is correct, the spot leaves out the context that Allegheny County’s unemployment rate has stayed below the state and national average. The latest figures on the federal Department of Labor’s website show an 8.0% unemployment rate here, compared to Pennsylvania’s 8.9% figure and the national 9.5% unemployment rate. The ad goes on to say, “Who ran on a promise of cutting property taxes ten percent, and broke his promise? Dan Onorato.” That’s true, but property taxes haven’t gone up during Onorato’s two terms, either. And as the Democrat is quick to point out at every opportunity, he fought against a court-ordered property reassessment, which would have likely increased property taxes for county residents. The woman in the ad also says Onorato supports a “massive energy tax.” She’s referring to a tax on natural gas extraction – not a cap-and-trade measure.

On the other side, a new ad from Democrat Dan Onorato warns senior citizens that Republican Tom Corbett could eliminate state health services, if he becomes governor. In truth, Corbett has never voiced support for any of the positions the commercial warns about – so the ad is misleading. Onorato’s new spot cuts right to the chase saying, “Corbett’s plan could slash meals on wheels. Cut home health care services. Stop Alzheimer’s outreach. And limit funding for senior centers.” The ad is entirely hypothetical. Corbett has never talked about cutting any of these health care programs. Onorato’s campaign justifies the attack by pointing out the Republican has said, “everything is on the table,” when it comes to cutting state spending. The ad does accurately point out Corbett has joined a lawsuit aimed at overturning the new federal health care law – but frames the challenge as suing to “stop seniors from getting health coverage,” which isn’t true. Corbett has argued the new health care law violates the constitution by mandating the purchase of health care. He says he’s in favor of expanding health care and reducing the cost of coverage – he just doesn’t support the new federal law.

Corbett: Privatize Liquor Stores

Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett wants to privatize the state-run liquor stores. The Republican says he will make that happen during his first year as governor. The idea comes up every few years in Harrisburg but has always been shot down by an unusual marriage of union supporters and for right social conservatives. Corbett argues Pennsylvania’s dire financial circumstances will give the plan momentum, much like a multi-billion dollar deficit paved the way for legalized table games at casinos this year. “You have to keep in mind that I don’t think the last seven governors have faced an economic crisis the likes of which Pennsylvania is looking at right now,” says Corbett, “I think there is a much greater willingness in the general populace, that wants it. The voters, I think, want it. “ A Republican lawmaker who’s long pushed for privatization estimates Pennsylvania could generate two billion dollars by selling off state stores. Opponents of the idea, including Governor Rendell, say the one-time profit isn’t worth the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue. Corbett disagrees, “I believe he’s wrong, because we’re still going to have a tax on alcohol. We would receive income from that. What we’re looking at is selling a system off to other people. To privatize that system. And to be able to put it on the free market, where it’s going to help the citizens of Pennsylvania in a much more effective way. “ Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato says he is not rejecting the idea of selling the stores, but would be hesitant to lose the annual revenue. At the same time Corbett says he is hesitant to change the beer sales laws. “In many cases those are small mom and pop stores that have been in existence for a long time, and great value in those licenses. And you would want to ensure that their value is maintained. And the same with the small bars that sell – as you know they can sell two six-packs,” says Corbett. Onorato is also against change the beer laws.

The gubernatorial debate held in Pittsburgh October 16th can be heard at the bottom of the post at this link.

Final Gubernatorial Debate Before Election

Democrat Dan Onorato and Republican Tom Corbett made their closing arguments to Pennsylvania voters, during their third and final debate last night.
During his closing statement, Corbett told voters he’s the only candidate who will lower taxes and government spending.

"If you want four more years of increased spending, of taxes. If you want four more years of unemployment. If you want four more years of trying to be all things to all people – if you want four more years of Ed Rendell-like policies, then I would select my opponent."


Onorato, in turn, said he’s had more practical experience than Corbett, when it comes to growing the economy and working with the private sector. He continued to argue Corbett is a flip-flopper.

"I stood at the first debate, and I heard clear as day – Tom said he would help to pay back a three billion dollar debt to the federal government by putting a tax on the workers. At the last debate, he said he wouldn’t. Now I just find it ironic that the first debate was in front of a chamber audience. The second debate wasn’t. You can’t change your answer depending on what audience you’re talking to."

The Democrat is also vowing to shrink government spending and keep taxes level.
The majority of the debate focused on issues the two candidates have been arguing about for months.
A few new topics did come up, though.
On gay rights, Onorato said he’d support a measure banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Corbett said Pennsylvania has the laws it needs to fight anti-gay bias.

Onorato and Corbett Debate in Home Town

Democrat Dan Onorato and Republican Tom Corbett sparred on a wide range of subjects during a Saturday night debate in Pittsburgh.
Corbett said he opposes a tax on natural gas drilling, arguing a severance tax would be the worst thing you could possibly do for the industry.

"It’s clear that Dan is for taxes and I’m for jobs. I want to grow this industry. I believe it’s very important to the people of Pennsylvania – to the future generations of Pennsylvania – that they have jobs all across Pennsylvania. That this industry is going to grow."


Onorato disagreed.

"Tom, the reality is you took more money than any politician in Pennsylvania from the gas companies, and you’re doing your bidding. That’s what this is about. You going to have the taxpayers pay for the problems, or are you going to have the companies pay for the problems?"

Corbett said he doesn’t let contributions influence his actions

During a lightning round at the end of the debate, the Democrat and Republican both said they oppose legalizing medical marijuana and gay marriage.
Corbett said he’d support a constitutional ban on same-sex unions, but Onorato vowed to oppose a constitutional amendment on the issue.
Both candidates support a constitutional convention overhauling state government.

Listen to the entire debate here.

Non-Profits and the Budget

Four candidates for governor of Pennsylvania are split on whether or not the state should refund nonprofits who took out loans during last year’s 101-day budget impasse.
The gubernatorial hopefuls made their comments at a forum sponsored by the United Way.
When state funding to nonprofits and counties dried up last summer, many organizations took out large loans to pay their bills.
Democrats Dan Onorato and Joe Hoeffel say the state should fund those groups’ interest payments, but Auditor General Jack Wagner is more hesitant.

"Should we recoup those counties? Sure. If we could, yes. I’m not sure the state presently is in a fiscal condition to do that. Based on the serious financial challenges facing us, now, in the next budget."

Hoeffel says he’d stop all payments, if the state entered the new fiscal year without a spending plan.

"I won’t sign a temporary budget. I’ve seen this wreck the budget process in Harrisburg and in Washington. They don’t pass budgets on time in Washington. They sign—pass continuing resolutions, temporary budgets here. There have been seven straight late budgets. So no budget July 1, nobody gets paid."

Onorato criticized Governor Rendell for withholding funding from nonprofits during the 101-day budget impasse.

"And that’s what happened here. Because a lot of the other programs were funded. There was temporary budgets. There were payments being made to employees in other departments. And yet you have this department of human service bearing the political burden of this debate."

Republican Sam Rohrer says Pennsylvania government is running out of money, and may soon find itself in the same dire financial straits as California and other distressed states. Rohrer said the federal stimulus package did more harm than good.

"Because there’s two and a half billion dollars in this budget that will run out this year, that has to be made up. That’s the rub of where it goes from here. What should have done last year – spending reductions of about ten percent should have taken effect, and we’d be sitting here with a balanced budget."

All four candidates vowed to pass budgets by the July 1 deadline, if elected.
Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Anthony Williams were both invited to the forum, but didn’t attend.

Wellness Center for People with Disabilities Opens

A Wellness Center for people with disabilities opened Monday in Wexford.

Peter Clakeley, Director of The Woodlands, a non-profit that works to increase the lives of people with disabilities, says people with physical disabilities may feel more comfortable and less self-conscious working out around other people with disabilities.

They gym was funded by The State and by foundation money. A rehabilitation specialist will be working there. There will also be special equipment that is specially built for people with physical disabilities. The center has been working on establishing the center for the last five years.

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and State Senator Jane Orie were expected at the opening ceremony.

USW Endorses Onorato for Governor

United Steelworkers have endorsed Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato for Pennsylvania governor. USW President Leo Gerard says he and Onorato see eye-to-eye, and says Onorato will invest in the future of manufacturing and labor. Gerard says “he’s a kid from the North Side, and he’s never forgotten that.”
Onorato says that those in labor are very important to him, and he says his endorsement from the USW will boost him in the governor’s race. He reflects on his six years as county executive, and looks to that work when seeing what he can do for the state in the future, not just the region.

Dems Don't Endorse Candidate For Governor

Auditor General Jack Wagner won twice as many votes as any other gubernatorial candidate when Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party cast ballots for an official endorsement this weekend.
Although that wasn’t enough to win the party’s nod, Wagner is claiming victory.
A candidate needed two-thirds of the votes to win the Democratic Party’s endorsement, and Wagner didn’t claim that total.
But Wagner’s 153 votes from party officials was twice as much as Dan Onorato, who came in second with 76 tallies.
Wagner says it’s a moral victory.

"When you get the most votes in two ballots and it’s more than the majority, that tells me – and it’s spread out across Pennsylvania, that’s a signal that real people, common people, are supporting my candidacy. And that’s powerful."

Onorato says he’s not concerned ...
"You can’t look at who got what. You’ve got to look at, did they endorse here today? They didn’t. the state committee said leave it open. No one got the endorsement. It’s wide open, and now the most important vote is primary day."


Philadelphia Senator Anthony Williams, who’s mulling a run and didn’t initially plan on entering the endorsement balloting, came in third with 48 votes. Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel was eliminated in the first round of voting, and Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty wasn’t nominated.

"PA Society" Gathered in NYC

The state’s political power players gathered in New York City over the weekend for an annual event. If you’re a Pennsylvania politician – or if you’re trying to win an election to join that club – then Pennsylvania Society is the place to be. It’s a tradition that dates back to 1899. Pennsylvania’s political scene migrates to the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan for a weekend of parties packed with schmoozing, black ties, cocktails and gossip. Nearly every gubernatorial candidate held a reception, and there was an unspoken attendance competition going on among them. It is believed a well-attended soiree means a strong campaign. Standing in the middle of a packed ballroom he had rented, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato said he was in New York to build relationships with supporters. He says, “Pennsylvania Society is a unique situation because you can get all corners of the state, the middle of the state, a lot of people from all over in one area for three days. And as you can see, I packed the room with a lot of supporters tonight. And I think it’s an indication of the viability of my candidacy.” Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett says it was worth the trip, “You know, there’s a lot of potential fundraising ability here, contacts here. Networking. I certainly like the reception that I have received this weekend, and continue to receive. I mean I’ve been coming to this since 1993 or 1994. It’s nice to get to see everybody. It is a lot of seeing the same people over and over again.” Along with campaigning there are a lot of discussions about upcoming legislative efforts. House Majority Leader Todd Eachus says Democrats have the votes they need to pass a table games bill. He says he is taking a different approach than the governor, “I always worry about the work. The governor’s got to worry about his press conferences. My focus is trying to get the job done.” At the same time, US Senator Arlen Specter of PA was talking about health care. Specter says the Senate will pass a health care bill by month’s end, but he shied away from declaring support for a compromise on the public health care option. He says, “We’ve talked a lot about it, but I want to read the fine print before I take a final stand on it. Getting 60 votes—getting 60 out of 60—is a tough job when you don’t have any Republican support.”

Allegheny County Budget Signed

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato today signed the 2010 budget totaling $773.5 million. That's $10.8 million or 1.4% higher than this year's spending plan. In addition, the 2010 capital budget of $92.6 million includes 97 infrastructure and capital improvement projects. That includes $41.4 million for bridge construction, maintenance, repair and design.
Under the new operating budget, the Community College of Allegheny County will receive a 2% boost in its appropriation....up to $22.3 million.
In addition to operating funds, the Port Authority will receive $8.6 million for acquisition, construction and improvement of mass transit infrastructure including a new automated fare collection system.
The budget does not include an increase in property taxes.
Even though the county is under court order to begin a reassessment of all 575,000 properties in the county in 2010, there is no additional allocation in the new budget for that. A county spokesman told DUQ that they believe the initial work can be done with current staff and the additional expenditures including the hiring of a private company to assist in the assessments will come in the 2011 budget.

Penguins Rally Pumps Up Fans

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato hosted a Pittsburgh Penguins rally today at Market Square, in addition to deeming this Tuesday “Black and Gold Day” for the city of Pittsburgh. The event was in support of the Penguins’ first home game of the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Final. The Penguins’ mascot, Iceburgh, joined Gateway High School Cheerleaders and the mayor in leading a hearty “Let’s go, Pens!” chant. Also at the event were the band Kardaz and the Jimmy Adler Band, who played classic swing tunes with a Penguins lyrical twist. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank was on the scene collecting food and monetary donations as well. Penguins fan Robin Douglas says she’s not worried about being down 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final series. “I believe the Pens can come back... They have the spirit, they have the guts, they have the game plan, and their strategies are intact. I think if they remain confident they can pull it out tonight,” says Douglas.

Onorato Seeks to Sell Airport Parking

County Executive Dan Onorato announced his intent to privatize parking at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Onorato’s spokesman Kevin Evanto says the deal, estimated to be worth $500-700 million, would allow the airport to pay off its heavy $500 million debt and therefore make operating from the airport far less expensive. This in turn would lower ticket prices and most likely attract more airlines to Pittsburgh. Evanto says that his office has spoken with everyone who would be involved – the airport, the parking lot workers’ union, the company that manages the parking, and prospective buyers – with a “positive response” from all. The County Executive’s goal is to make Pittsburgh’s the least expensive airport in the country, says Evanto. Evanto adds that any written agreement would protect the cost of parking at the airport – to a degree. “You could structure it in different ways, but we would ensure that travelers wouldn’t be gouged, but at the same time make it possible for the company to increase rates over time so they could continue to make money,” says Evanto.

PA Grant Helps Returning Vets get Jobs

A state grant from the Department of Labor and Industry will give 80 veterans returning from service the chance to train for welding jobs. Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato says the $311,000 grant will go toward providing a 96-hour class offered for veterans. It will not guarantee placement into trade programs, but their prior experience in service and the class will provide an edge over others. Two veterans, Ryan Vatovec of the Marines and Stewart Battle of the Army, both said they were thankful for the opportunity to get involved with Steamfitters 449. Both of them are now first year apprentices as a result of the class.

High Court Asked to Stay Reassessment Order

Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato has asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to stay for 180 days its order for Common Pleas Court to determine a timeline for a countywide property reassessment. Onorato asked the high court for the delay to allow the legislature time to approve changes that he says are needed to make the assessment system fair in all 67 counties.."during these difficult economic times, families across Pennsylvania are worried that unfair property tax increases will make it even harder to stay in their homes."
On April 29, the state Supreme Court ruled that Allegheny County's 2002 base year system treated property owners unfairly. However, many other counties in the state also use a base year system.

Minority Contracts to have Expanded Opportunities

County Executive Dan Onorato says he met with minority- and women- owned businesses in order to provide better networking. It gives these owners an opportunity to form relationships with each other as well as those who are making the contracting decisions in order to expand programs and resources. Yvonne Campos, CEO of Campos Market Research Inc., says she is pleased with the meeting. She says owners needed to voice their concerns to the panel, which included directors of human resources, public works, administrative services and economic development. However, Campos says the more important part of the meeting is that these leaders followup with keeping good communication. Onorato says he intends on taking down names and business information to develop a database to better serve them. He says they will benefit from the stimulus package, a short-term deal, but this programming is all part of a long-term process that looks at millions of dollars in contracts every year. He says Allegheny County has $700 million for the annual operating budget alone, including payroll.