web1_luzernecountycourthouse.jpeg.jpg

Luzerne County capital projects in the works

web1_121598810-ef79e8c040c1431a9ed3e16e84143f53.jpg

Utah mayor, guard member killed by trainee in Afghanistan

WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Gov. Tom Wolf is seeking a second term and to that he will have to defeat Scott Wagner, who grew up in the same town as Wolf and who is also a successful businessman.The candidates were asked to identify the key issues in the race facing Pennsylvania.Key issuesWolf: Wolf said education and schools are at the top of his list, along with affordable health care, senior citizens and creating family-sustaining jobs.&#8220;We need a strong, robust economy. And we need a society that is fair, especially where women&#8217;s rights are concerned &#8212; they must be treated equally. And I will be fair to people of color, working people and the LGBTQ community. Pennsylvania needs to be fair.&#8220;And we need to be competent. In my first term, I plugged a $2 billion deficit. And this year, we are ahead of budget estimates &#8212; we have a surplus. We have money in our checkbook &#8212; we are not borrowing money.&#8221;Wagner: &#8220;Everywhere I go in Pennsylvania I hear about the opioid crisis. And the bottom line is the state has not done nearly enough to address it.&#8220;Another task that I will have to confront in my governorship will be fixing the pension system. I favor moving all state employees to a 401(k) plan after a certain date. All current state employees who have paid into their pension will still receive it under my plan.&#8220;I will also get more money into the classroom by implementing a plan to invest an additional $1 billion annually in students and teachers without raising taxes.&#8220;I have a detailed plan to make Pennsylvania more friendly to current and new businesses. My plan reduces burdensome regulations that hold businesses back from expanding, lowers taxes on employers so they can pay people more, and harnesses the output of our top industries such as natural gas.&#8220;I will also spur economic growth by addressing our broken transportation system. Finally, I will ban sanctuary cities in Pennsylvania.&#8221;What is your stance on the elimination of property taxes?Wolf: &#8220;We have to do something about school property taxes. I oppose HB/SB 75.&#8221;Wolf said he will continue to work with the legislature to reduce property taxes, but unlike Scott Wagner, he won&#8217;t burden middle-class families and seniors by taxing groceries, clothing, and retirements. Wolf believes the middle class pays too much in taxes because too many corporations, wealthy people and oil and gas companies pay too little. Wolf will continue to fight to make oil and gas companies pay their fair share and fight to close the Delaware loophole that allows many corporations to get away with paying no taxes at all.&#8221;Wagner: &#8220;I will be a champion for seniors by eliminating their school taxes. Tom Wolf said he would provide property tax relief when he ran in 2014 and he didn&#8217;t get it done. In fact, his administration cast the tie breaking vote against property tax elimination. I will be a governor who finally gets it done by taking us to zero-based budgeting and signing Senate Bill 76 if it gets to my desk.&#8221;What is your plan to bring good-paying, family sustainable jobs to the state?Wolf: &#8220;We have a strong economy right now and that is helping everybody.&#8221;Wolf said he is fighting to grow Pennsylvania&#8217;s economy and create good paying jobs. He said he eliminated the capital stock and franchise tax once and for all and created a one-stop-shop for small businesses to help cut through red tape and help entrepreneurs grow. Wolf has also made significant investments in workforce development to ensure that more Pennsylvanians have access to high-wage, family sustaining jobs.&#8220;I believe strongly in the importance of investing in our workers&#8217; success by helping them increase their skills and get the good jobs they need to sustain their families,&#8221; Wolf said. &#8220;The result of these targeted investments is truly a win-win for everyone, as it also provides businesses with the skilled workforce they need to thrive in our global economy.&#8221;Wolf said he is committed to investing in workforce development. His PAsmart initiative is a first-of-its-kind $30 million investment that creates new opportunities for workers to help them prepare for the in-demand middle class jobs of today and the future investments meet employers&#8217; need for skilled workers and that workers are gaining the skills for good, middle-class jobs that will grow Pennsylvania&#8217;s economy.Wagner: &#8220;Tom Wolf&#8217;s tax increases and regulatory policies have given us an unemployment rate that is being outpaced by the national average and have us ranked the fifth worst state to start a business by WalletHub.&#8220;My plan will eliminate burdensome regulations that hold businesses back from growing and expanding, lower the corporate net income tax on employers so they can hire more workers, bring accountability and certainty to the permitting process and capitalize on the natural resources Pennsylvania has at her disposal.&#8221;Why should voters select you to represent them?Wolf: Wolf said he has accomplished a lot in his first term &#8212; increased money for public schools and universities in budgets, he signed a bill into law to legalize medical marijuana, signed a bill relaxing the state&#8217;s Prohibition-era liquor and beer laws, and signed an executive order forbidding his staff from accepting gifts from lobbyists and others seeking to do business with the state.Wolf said he has spent the past four years moving Pennsylvania forward by prioritizing the issues that are most important to Pennsylvanian families. He fully restored Harrisburg Republicans&#8217; $1 billion cut to education, expanded career and technical education and apprenticeships, oversaw the creation of 200,000 jobs, repaired thousands of miles of roads and bridges, and helped Pennsylvania&#8217;s businesses grow. He did all of this while balancing Pennsylvania&#8217;s budget and eliminating our structural deficit, resulting in the first deposit in Pennsylvania&#8217;s rainy day fund in nearly a decade.Wagner: &#8220;The solutions I am proposing are bold, and they require a leader who is willing to fight for them. And throughout this campaign that&#8217;s exactly what I have done. I&#8217;ve put my agenda out there in the last year with almost 700 events, including 12 town hall meetings and six policy announcements.&#8220;And while sometimes my points and positions could have been better articulated, or I&#8217;ve let my passion get the best of me, I&#8217;ve given you a chance to see what you&#8217;ll be getting. I&#8217;m not a politician. I&#8217;m a garbage man &#8212; a clean up guy &#8212; who&#8217;s trying to fix what no one else will.&#8221;<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Bill O&#8217;Boyleboboyle@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>Governor&#8217;s raceName: Tom WolfAge: Turns 70 on Nov. 17Town of Residence: YorkOffice seeking: GovernorCurrent job: Governor of PennsylvaniaEducation: Dartmouth College (BA); University of London (MPhil); Massachusetts Institute of Technology (.PhD)Family:Wife, Frances; 2 children.&#8226;Name: Scott WagnerAge: 63Town of Residence: YorkPolitical Party: RepublicanOffice Seeking: GovernorCurrent Job: President/CEO of Penn Waste and KBS TruckingEducation: Dallastown High SchoolFamily: Tracy Wagner</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</shirttailMeta></div>

Wolf seeks second term as Pennsylvania’s governor against Wagner