In July , Corbett garnered attention for suggesting that some of the unemployed are exploiting the extension of unemployment benefits prior to seeking employment, and later noted the prevalence of "help wanted" ads in the newspapers as evidence of the availability of employment. In September , at the first gubernatorial debate, Corbett again gained attention for seemingly violating his "no-tax pledge" in suggesting that he would consider raising the payroll contribution tax.
On November 2, , Corbett was elected Governor of Pennsylvania, defeating Onorato by 2,, votes Corbett assumed the office of Governor on January 18, , succeeding term-limited Democrat Ed Rendell. According to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, between January , when Corbett took office, and June , Pennsylvania gained a net , jobs during that period.
This ranked Pennsylvania 47th in the nation for job creation — ahead of only New Mexico 1 percent , Alaska 1. Economist Tara Sinclair noted that Pennsylvania suffered fewer job losses during the recession from —, so it might be expected to experience a "less robust recovery". Corbett helped ensure that the three petroleum refineries in Southeastern Pennsylvania would stay open. His administration pledged to use this money for an educational block grant used toward school safety, enhanced early education programs, individualized learning and science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses and programs.
Polling reflected that most Pennsylvanians disapproved of Governor Corbett's job performance, including his decision to privatize the Pennsylvania Lottery, but supported Corbett's desire to sell off state owned liquor stores and fix Pennsylvania's ailing transportation system.
Governor Corbett and his wife were criticized for accepting gifts as reported in the Philadelphia Daily News. Some politicians have claimed that the Governor violated the code of conduct of his office. Corbett became governor on January 18, Corbett has said, however, that he will not attempt to limit collective bargaining, as have Republican Governors John Kasich of Ohio and Scott Walker of Wisconsin.
Corbett maintained that Pennsylvania should not institute a natural gas extraction tax, due to its already high corporate net income tax. In February , Corbett repealed a four-month-old policy regulating natural gas drilling including hydraulic fracturing in park land, deeming it "unnecessary and redundant" according to a spokesperson. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party called the repeal a "payoff" to oil and gas interests which donated a million dollars to Corbett's campaign.
According to Corbett, "had they not given me a dime, I would still be in this position, saying we need to grow jobs in Pennsylvania". The law subjected natural gas drillers to an impact fee to offset any environmental or community impacts of drilling. The law also changed the zoning laws applicable to Marcellus Shale well drilling, more commonly known as hydraulic fracturing. Some provisions are that all municipalities must allow Marcellus Shale well drilling in all zoning districts, including residential and municipalities may not limit hours of operation.
Water and wastewater pits must also be allowed in all zoning districts, including residential. Compressor stations must be allowed in industrial and agricultural zoning districts and towns may not limit hours of operation.
Gas processing plants are allowed in industrial zoning districts and hours of operation cannot be limited. Gas pipelines must be allowed in all zoning districts, including residential. The law helped gain access to land for new pipelines, one of which transports natural gas from Pennsylvania to export terminals in Maryland, from which it will be shipped to Europe and Asia. Others contend that the pipeline's purpose is to transport the gas to Maryland and D.
There were concerns that exporting natural gas will result in more jobs going overseas, leading to increased unemployment in Pennsylvania and other states as gas prices rise globally. The Marcellus Shale Law House Bill also contained a provision that allows doctors in Pennsylvania access to the list of chemicals in hydraulic fracturing fluid in emergency situations only, but forbids them from discussing this information with their patients.
On July 22, , the Republican governors of Alabama , North Carolina , Pennsylvania , Utah and Wisconsin sent a letter to President Obama expressing concerns about how the administration was handling the increase in unaccompanied children crossing the U. We fear that this will put a significant number of children at risk of abuse and neglect on their journey to the United States.
Several polls were conducted in the months leading up to the general election to gauge the people of Pennsylvania's opinion of their governor. An April survey from Quinnipiac University Polling Institute showed Corbett's approval rating hovering at 47 percent approval to 38 percent disapproval, with a negative 29 to 43 percent favorability rating-- marking the fourth consecutive month of negative scores for the first term governor.
Most notably, the poll indicated that Corbett would find a formidable challenger in U. Schwartz lost the Democratic nomination to Tom Wolf , who has also polled very strongly against Corbett. A June analysis by The Business Journals ranked 45 governors based on the annual private sector growth rate in all 50 states using data from the U. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Corbett was ranked number The five governors omitted from the analysis all assumed office in In November of , before he assumed his position as Governor of Pennsylvania , Corbett voiced his support for the privatization of the 61 state liquor stores.
On January 30, , Corbett introduced a proposal to privatize the state-owned liquor stores and use the revenue to increase funding for education. The governor argued that "the selling of alcohol is not a core responsibility of government, but education is. Restaurants, already able to sell beer, would be able to sell customers up to six bottles of wine, while retail beer distributors could obtain licenses to sell beer, wine, and liquor, instead of only beer.
Under Corbett's plan, these funds would be distributed to school districts using a formula based on their student enrollment and income level. The block grants would fund "school safety; early learning; science, technology, engineering and mathematics course programming; and 'individual learning.
Two leading Republicans, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi , supported increasing consumer choice but remained unconvinced that the government stores needed to be auctioned off. State Representative John Taylor R proposed an alternative plan which would introduce more competition into the liquor market but allow a reduced number of the state stores to continue to operate.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local , which represents workers at the government liquor stores, also opposed privatization, while supporters of increased education funding remained divided by the plan.
Polls showed most Pennsylvanians favored privatization. Following its House passage, HB was sent to the Senate. Pileggi reasserted his emphasis on "looking for ways to increase convenience, and selection at a competitive price" rather than privatization.
He indicated that the bill would be changed before passage in the Senate. Corbett refused to publicly comment on how he would approach negotiations with the Senate but reaffirmed his support for privatization. Corbett delivered his budget to the Pennsylvania Legislature in early February Nathan Benefield of the pro-market Commonwealth Foundation commended Corbett for his "fiscal restraint" and asserted that Corbett's leadership had helped revive Pennsylvania's economy, which created jobs at a rate 17 times higher than that of the other 49 states.
Benefield also supported Corbett's proposal to eliminate the state's corporate tax. Tom Corbett endorsed Mitt Romney in the presidential election. When Corbett left the attorney general's office in , he appointed Linda Kelly R to serve as his replacement for the remainder of his term, ending in January When Kelly was sworn in on May 24, , she assumed leadership of the state's high profile investigation into former Penn State football coach and eventual convicted sex-offender Jerry Sandusky, who was charged with 45 counts of sexual abuse committed between and Originating during Corbett's tenure as attorney general in late , the case's revelations about Sandusky reverberated far beyond the boundaries of Penn State's campus, inciting an onslaught of emotional pleas to the state to deliver swift justice in order to begin the healing process.
Despite the mounting pressure from the public and press to advance the investigation to trial as quickly as possible, the Pennsylvania attorney general's office, which oversaw the case, proceeded with caution instead of urgency. The case spent two years in controversial gestation under Corbett - and then Kelly - before charges were brought against Sandusky in November On June 22, , a jury convicted Sandusky of 45 out of the 48 counts of sex abuse for which he was indicted, including 25 felonies and 20 misdemeanors.
After the verdict was delivered, Kelly said she was confident Sandusky received a fair trial, notwithstanding the hurried pace of the proceedings, and the defense's request for a mistrial following the prosecution's exposure of an erroneously incriminating interview Sandusky did with Bob Costas - "The commonwealth expects to prevail on any appeal, and as far as the timing, the judge made it clear from the beginning to all the parties that he intended to move this case along quickly," Kelly said on CNN.
Echoing Kelly's defense of the trial's sprint to conclusion, and the dismissed mistrial, Corbett said that he expected these issues to manifest in future appeals, but ultimately, the jury's decision was informed by the "compelling testimony of these now young men who were young boys who suffered at the hands of this pedophile.
Whether or not the handing of the case should be reviewed further was a dominant issue in the attorney general race. Both major party candidates, David Freed R and Kathleen Kane D , said they would review the office's, and Corbett's, performance leading the Sandusky investigation if elected. On the day Corbett took the oath of office as governor, a protest was held in opposition to the threat of forced natural gas pooling laws, which protesters claimed would be on the agenda in the upcoming legislative session.
Gene Stilp, a local political activist who organized the protest, said the legalization of forced pooling would be a violation of constitutionally guaranteed property rights.
Matt Pitzarella, spokesperson for Range Resources, said the pooling can benefit property owners by allowing for more efficient extraction of gas. House Republicans spokesperson Steve Miskin said the forced pooling bill was only one of many issues relating to natural gas drilling which lawmakers would address in the coming months.
The bill closed a loophole that allowed a state employee to retire from his job and begin collecting benefits, only to be hired back as a part-time employee while also collecting unemployment compensation after leaving a previous job. While the law closed a triple-dipping loophole, the changes do not prevent double-dipping, in which a state employee retires, begins collecting pension benefits, and returns to work a part-time position.
The increase in pension costs generated several responses from Pennsylvania leaders. They are not trying to commit waste, fraud and abuse. In December of , Corbett decided against establishing a Pennsylvania-specific health care exchange under the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.
He explained that the Obama administration had not satisfactorily addressed various operational questions and concerns Pennsylvania officials had posed with respect to the state-based option. Along with Republican governors such as Chris Christie NJ , Bob McDonnell VA , and Bill Haslam TN , Corbett's primary concern was about the potential cost of independent implementation, and whether the federal government would respect the autonomy states ostensibly earn as an extension of that financial independence [37].
Most notable are his efforts to protect our children from internet predators, our seniors from fraud and abuse, our communities from gangs and the violence associated with illegal drugs and the citizens of Pennsylvania from abuse of power and government corruption.
As Attorney General, Tom Corbett has worked hard to protect taxpayers' hard earned money by going after predatory lenders, pharmaceutical companies and big oil companies that took advantage of consumers.
In less than six years, the Office of Attorney General returned and saved Pennsylvania taxpayers over half a billion dollars. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, specializing in prosecuting organized crime and drug cases. Following several years of private law practice, Corbett was called back to public service in , when President George H. Bush appointed him to serve as U. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
In the s, Corbett provided criminal law and policy expertise to then-Congressman Tom Ridge, later filling several key roles in Governor Ridge's administration. Corbett planned the Governor's successful special session on crime and was appointed to chair the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, shaping criminal justice policy and working to improve drug and alcohol prevention and rehabilitation programs across the state.
Upon confirmation from the Pennsylvania Senate, Corbett pledged that he would not run for re-election in
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