Pennsylvania will have a new governor come January. Democrat Tom Wolf defeated incumbent Republican Governor Tom Corbett in last night’s election, making him the first candidate to unseat an incumbent governor in recent history. In case you missed the countless campaign ads, news articles and gubernatorial debates, here’s the 4-1-1 on our new governor-elect and where he stands on the issues most important to Pennsylvanians.
Who he is:
Name:
Thomas Westerman Wolf
Hometown:
York, Pennsylvania
Birthdate:
November 17, 1948
Education:
B.A., Dartmouth College, magna cum laude 1972
M.Phil, University of London, 1978
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1984
Career:
1984-1985: Forklift operator, Wolf Organization, York, P.A.
1985-2006: Owner, Wolf Organization, York, P.A.
2007-2008: Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Revenue
2009-Present: Owner, Wolf Organization, York, P.A.
Family:
Married Frances, 1975
Daughters Sarah and Katie
Where he stands:
Income Tax:
Supports a progressive income tax system whereby the percentage of tax people pay is based on their income.
Minimum Wage:
Supports increasing the state minimum wage to $10.10/hour and indexing it per inflation.
Natural Gas:
Supports a 5% extraction tax based on the value and volume of gas produced and using the proceeds to fund education.
Education:
Supports increasing the state’s share of public education funding in order to reduce local property taxes.
Pensions:
Opposes reducing benefits for state and school district employees and wants to give the 2010 pension reform law time to work. Supports addressing the state’s unfunded pension liability.
Liquor:
Opposes sale of state liquor stores; supports modernization of wine and liquor stores
Abortion:
Opposes new restrictions on abortion.