DUBOIS – Of the eight gubernatorial candidates, two were physically present, and one surrogate was in attendance at Wednesday night’s forum hosted by the Greater DuBois Chamber of Commerce.
Invitations were sent out to candidates in January for the forum. Sam Rohrer (R), Jack Wagner (D), and Derek Walker, a surrogate for Tom Corbett (R), were seated before an audience of about 100 at Penn State DuBois’ Hiller Auditorium.
Each candidate was given two minutes in which to give an opening statement addressing the question of why they are running for governor.
Rohrer, who is originally from Ohio, and is the current Republican Chairman of the House Finance Committee, has been serving the people since 1992 when he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. During his opening, Rohrer said, “It’s good to be here in DuBois. I have a particularly warm spot in my heart here because it’s where my wife and I were engaged 33 years ago, in a little place called Luthersburg.” Rohrer went on to say that the elected governor will face the most monumental challenge the state has ever seen and that the financial condition of the state is “absolutely unparalled”. He also said the state is on the brink of bankruptcy because of terrible spending, ethical issues, and other problems. Much of Rohrer’s position rested on the financial situation of the state and the “freedom to defend on the state level”.
Wagner, who comes from the Pittsburgh area, is currently serving as the Auditor General, a position he has held since elected in 2004. He is a Purple Heart recipient for combat served in Vietnam as an infantryman in the Marines. Wagner started his two minute opening statement by saying he was honored to be there. “I want to thank you for the invitation in January. I’m here because all of you are important, Central Pennsylvania is important.” 
Wagner strongly believed the state government needs help and that structural changes must occur. He said one issue he will pursue, if elected, is to cut the government by one third. He believes campaign finance reform is an issue due to politicians “receiving a contribution with the left hand and giving a contract with the right.” He feels practices such as that are polluting the government and that it takes government leadership to fix it.
Wagner also believes in reducing spending. He used the word “diet” when speaking of cutting spending. He said everyone has had to reduce their spending due to the economy and so too should the state.
Tom Corbett, who is the state’s Attorney General, was unable to attend due to a commitment in New York City and then in Pittsburgh. He did, however, send a surrogate, Derek Walker to speak on his behalf. Walker, a resident of Bigler, thanked the chamber of commerce for the opportunity and the other candidates for coming. Walker explained to the audience where Corbett was and that he would be announcing his transportation policy on April 29 at 10:00 a.m. Walker said he would do his best to answer on behalf of Corbett. “If I don’t know his position I will be honest and tell you that and I will do my best to get you that information by getting your contact information.”
The candidates were then asked questions ranging from their views on the tolling of Interstate 80 to transportation to jobs and healthcare.
On the topic of the tolling of Interstate 80, Rohrer said he argued and voted against it. He said their were financial issues and the concept was flawed from the beginning. Rohrer also warned those who fought so hard to oppose the tolling to not give up because there is still “stuff swirling around.”
Wagner believes that the tolling issue was dead on arrival due to regulations within the Federal Highway Administration that say you cannot toll a road and take the revenue and apply it elsewhere. He said had the interstate been tolled it would have set a precedent for the nation to toll roads and allow the money to go elsewhere. “I have never proposed the tolling of Interstate 80.”
He said that if the interstate was to be tolled it has to allow allowances for the local people to travel on the road and that there would be no dollar taken from the tolling and applied to the urban areas of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, or Allegheny County.
Wagner said that the infrastructure needs to be maintained and that it is a great asset to this area. He said that it needs to be the best that it can be in order to attract businesses. He said he isn’t sure where the future will take the tolling issue but it is not part of his plan. It is his intent to maximize transportation dollars.
Walker began by thanking the Clearfield and Jefferson County Commissioners in their efforts to stop the tolling of the interstate before taking Corbett’s position on the matter. It is Corbett’s position to not toll the interstate. Walker stated that Corbett is committed to public/private partnerships. He said the leased money from the roads, the interest alone, can pay for the infrastructure.
Philippone then moved on to jobs and asked what measures the candidates would support to create jobs in Pennsylvania.
Wagner said, “I would take a number of initiates, too many to talk about in two minutes.” He spoke of how magnificent the Ben Franklin partnership program is for the creation of new companies through venture capital. He said he would double it in the budget. He said he would like for Pennsylvania to be looked at as the innovative state in the country in terms of entrepreneurial start-up companies.
He said there are incredible opportunities to receive federal dollars for a high-speed rail system. He said he would like to see a high-speed rail corridor in Pennsylvania, something he believes could dramatically improve the economy and create a lot of jobs in terms of building the system. He said the locomotives are built in Erie and the engines in Meadville.
He said he would also make Pennsylvania the “energy capital of the country”. He said it could be done with renewable and alternative energies and also in a way that is environmentally friendly. He said there are tremendous opportunities with clean coal technology and Marcellus Shale. Wagner also spoke of the first nuclear power plant being in Pennsylvania. “We should become an energy leader and in the process we create hundreds of thousands of jobs.”
Walker, on behalf of Corbett, said that the number one priority for Corbett is job creation and retention. He said Corbett realizes that business people are important and the best thing to do is to get out of their way. Walker said Pennsylvania has one of the most unfriendly business climates in the country. He then explained the capital stock and franchise tax. He spoke of making the business climate more efficient and cost effective.
Second on Corbett’s agenda for jobs is energy and how Pennsylvania could be one of the first states in the country to be completely energy efficient. Walker spoke about Marcellus Shale and the opportunities for the money to stay locally as opposed to being driven into the general fund, where they would benefit the urban areas.
Corbett also supports making the state broadband friendly. He said that Pennsylvania is the 16th largest economy in the world but rank 26th in broadband capabilities.
Rohrer said there were a couple of things he would do. He said he would work towards pursuing and identifying the problems that makes Pennsylvania uncompetitive. He spoke of the unfriendly, hostile climate towards business. He said his background is in business and the governor can change that attitude. Rohrer said he is a “right to work kind of guy”. He also spoke of the legal climate, which he believes is also hostile. Rohrer ended by briefly touching on the opportunities available through Marcellus Shale, to which he received applause from the audience.
Another topic discussed was the state budget. Rohrer began this discussion by stating that he has not voted for a tax increase in the 18 years he’s been in service and he won’t start if he is elected. He said the state is in a $4 Billion deficit at this time. He said the state needs to cut spending by ten percent. He said you have to look at where you are spending the most money, which is welfare, education, and corrections, and start there.
Rohrer said if the cuts are not made the next step is to enter into bankruptcy as California has done. He said Pennsylvania is about two years behind California and he said the way to fix it is to reduce the spending.
Wagner stressed the importance of the state going on a “diet”. He said that in eight years the budget has increased 40 percent, from $20 billion to $28 billion. “Pennsylvania needs to cut budgets and it needs to do it with a scalpel.” He said there are about $5 billion in contracts every year without competition and even more in emergency contracts that aren’t emergencies.
Wagner said as an auditor general it is his job to scrutinize the budget so he knows what is and is not necessary. “It is about time we only go with what is necessary.”
Derek Walker, on behalf of Corbett, said that “expenses can be cut.” He said Corbett has proposed an immediate ten percent cut in government administration. Corbett has also proposed cutting per diems received by government officials. He said Corbett believes in audited and managed expenses for actual expenses. Corbett believes in cutting the vehicle fleet managed and operated by the government.
In their closing statements, each candidate was given two minutes to wrap up their thoughts and touch on any issues not prompted by the moderator. All candidates thanked the chamber of commerce for hosting the event.
Walker began by apologizing on Corbett’s behalf for his absence. He said that Corbett had made a believer of him and asked the audience, as their neighbor, to vote for Corbett.
“He’s the best hope for our collective future,” Walker said.
Wagner reiterated the importance of the people in the audience and said that he wanted to hear the questions they had. He said that Pennsylvania needs a vision and some tough things need to be done in moving forward. He also said the states needs to change structurally, spending needs to be reduced, and energy needs to be tapped in an environmentally friendly way. He touched on education, saying he is the only gubernatorial candidate who wants to create a hope scholarship fund that will benefit Pennsylvania residents attending Pennsylvania schools. He said that the cost of Pennsylvania schools is too high. “The average student is coming out of school with a significant debt.” He said by providing affordable education we are able to keep Pennsylvanians in the state and better educate them as well.
Rohrer said that the incoming governor will be faced with some unusual challenges. Rohrer has served under four governors and has seen the ways in which to conduct business and the ways in which he will not conduct business if elected. He feels that after serving in the government for 18 years and being on the receiving end of the government, as a businessman, for 15 years that he has a balance he could bring. “I am driven by principle and conviction. I’m clear on what I stand for.”
For information on Sam Rohrer, click here.
For information on Jack Wagner, click here.
For information on Tom Corbett, click here.